The municipality will now move forward with final design plans for the Chatham-Kent Community Hub following a marathon council meeting that saw nearly two dozen deputations opposing the project.
During Monday’s meeting, Chatham-Kent Council voted 11-5 in favour of awarding a $2,177,683.46 contract to Architecturra Inc. for the completion of the detailed designs for the multi-year project that would see the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, CK Public Library and CK Museum amalgamated into the former Sears building in downtown Chatham.
Another $105,839 will also be spent to hire a project manager to support the design and construction of the Community Hub. All of the funding will come from the municipality’s Buildings Lifecycle Reserve.
The projected total cost of the Community Hub project is estimated at $53 million.
Council’s vote came after nearly four hours of discussion, debate and questions, as well as 25 additional public deputations.
The majority of the deputations saw local residents voicing their opposition to the Hub, citing concerns about possible increased taxes, loss of services in neighbouring communities, lack of accessibility, and insufficient public consultation.
However, members of council and municipal staff did their best to quell those concerns by showing funding for the Community Hub has already been set aside in reserves as part of Chatham-Kent’s 2024-2027 multi-year operating budget. Administration also emphasized that the project is not expected to have further financial impact on taxpayers in the future.
It was also pointed out that moving forward with the Community Hub would not lead to a reduction in services in other Chatham-Kent communities, such as the closure of service centres or libraries.
“Libraries and museums are not ‘nice to haves’, they’re must-haves for our communities,” said Ward 6 Councillor Brock McGregor. “I want to be really clear that this project in no way puts library services or any other important services in or outside of Chatham at risk… I wouldn’t support this project if it did.”
Amalgamating the library, museum and civic centre had many believing there would also be reduced accessibility, when in fact municipal administration says the opposite is true. The current plans for the Community Hub are expected to exceed accessibility requirements by incorporating barrier-free entrances, accessible restrooms, and adaptable spaces. Additionally, advanced assistive technologies and clear signage with braille and large-print options have been included in the proposed concept designs.
“It’s clear that the proposed development will be more accessible than the three existing assets. It will allow increased usage of these community assets, something we know is crucial to healthy and vibrant communities,” said McGregor.
While many of the residents providing deputations said there had not been enough public engagement ahead council’s meeting on Monday, council and staff pointed out that there have been numerous opportunities for residents to provide input. The municipality has conducted three public information sessions that were attended by over 300 residents, as well as two online public surveys and three stakeholder engagement meetings. Several one-on-one meetings with local advisory committees and boards were also held.
McGregor said he’s hopeful that Monday’s meeting provided an opportunity to address misconceptions surrounding the project.
“What we’re left with is a decision to move forward with the project that is, by all measures, the most cost-effective way to manage important assets in our community,” he said. “We have a responsibility to make a responsible, long-term decision that is the best for everyone in our community.”
Ward 4 Councillor Rhonda Jubenville, who voted against the project moving forward, called the Community Hub “a nice to do, not a need to do project.”
“We have a beautiful, purposeful, built asset that we are sitting in right. We own it, we own the parking lot, but sadly we have neglected our building,” she said. “We should have been maintaining and repairing this building that we’re in, only potential setbacks and exorbitant costs.”
The cost to repair the existing Civic Centre with no added amenities is an estimated $37 million. A request for updated high-level cost assessments for upgrading the civic centre, library and museum was also approved as part of the Community Hub motion.
The detailed designs for the Community Hub are expected to return to council in the first or second quarters of 2025. If given final approval, construction on the new facility would likely begin in the third quarter of 2025 with completion expected within 18–24 months.
A motion brought forward by Jubenville calling for a referendum on the Hub project was on the schedule to be debated during Monday night’s meeting, however, it was pushed to a future council meeting due to time constraints. A second motion tabled by the Ward 4 councillor calling for the project to be scrapped could not move forward due to it infringing on a municipal bylaw.
For more information about the Chatham-Kent Community Hub project, click here.
