A new municipal report coming to council later this month is presenting the Chatham-Kent Community Hub project as the cheaper alternative to renovating the current civic centre, library, and museum.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent released a report to the public on Wednesday, following the completion of the detailed design phase of the Community Hub project. The project, if approved, would consolidate the current Civic Centre, the Chatham library and CK Museum into the former Sears in downtown Chatham. The facility would include increased parking options and improved accessibility that exceeds the required standards.
According to the report, the updated total estimated cost for the Community Hub is $52,883,600, which remains within the council’s approved $53 million budget. The budget includes all essential components of the project, including the purchase of the former Sears building, construction costs, consulting services, furniture, and relocation costs. The municipality has also budgeted for contingencies, such as the potential impact of U.S.-imposed tariffs.
“When we go to RFP [process], it’s going to be a fixed price. It’s not as though [a contractor] is going to come in and say they’ll do it for $42 million and then oh surprise, it’s going to be $52 million. No. The concept is, if they bid $42 million, it’s going to be whatever that number is,” said CK Mayor Darrin Canniff.
The municipality maintains its position that the construction of the Community Hub will have absolutely no impact on property taxes. The current budget shows that the Hub will be fully funded through existing municipal infrastructure reserves, which have been accumulating over the past 10 years, and a 20-year debenture. The sale of the current Civic Centre and library buildings for an assessed value of $9.356 million would also provide additional funding.
Plans show that the library portion of the Hub would be expanded to 43,500 square feet, which is a 90 per cent increase in total space compared to the current library building.
The space for the museum will also be increased by 150 per cent with a 9,000-square-foot expanded exhibit area. The space will also include a new community room and on-site storage.
The municipality has also released a detailed cost breakdown comparing the Hub project to repairing/renovating the existing Civic Centre, museum and library.
According to municipal estimates, the three buildings currently require a combined total of $47,800,000 in renovations. If the municipality were to renovate the current buildings to the same standards as the Community Hub project, it would cost an estimated $108,264,530, more than double the proposed budget for the Hub.
At this cost, the municipality said the renovations could result in property tax increases for Chatham-Kent residents.
CK Chief Financial Officer Gord Quinton noted that the cost of the Hub project could be reduced through grant funding from upper levels of government, as well as other sources.
“This total excludes some other revenue possibilities, whether it’s just general revenue from room rentals and things like that, community donations, or naming rights,” said Quinton. “A worst case is the $53 million [total], it will get better as we get our approved project going forward.”
One such community donation was announced by local businessman Rob Myers on Wednesday, with the establishment of a $5 million foundation to support the library and museum portions of the Hub.
CK administration will present the Community Hub report to council during its next meeting on May 12 with a recommendation to move to the next phase of the project. If council votes in favour, CK staff will begin a request for proposals process to find a contractor. The project would then return to council in September to seek approval for the most cost-efficient bid.
Pending council’s approval, construction at the former Sears building could begin as soon as December 2025, with completion expected by the end of 2027.
The full report coming to council on May 12 can be viewed on the Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent website by clicking here.
