Despite facing intimidation and harassment from some residents, Chatham-Kent Council has chosen to move forward with the Community Hub project in downtown Chatham.
During a well-attended meeting on Monday at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre, council voted 12-5 in favour of proceeding to a request for proposals process to find a contractor for the project, which would consolidate the current Civic Centre, the Chatham library and CK Museum into the former Sears in downtown Chatham.
Councillors John Wright, Morena McDonald, Rhonda Jubenville, Alysson Storey and Michael Bondy all voted against the project, while Councillor Trevor Thompson recused himself from the decision.
During council debate on the project, several members spoke out about malicious written and verbal attacks they endured from members of the community who have opposed the Community Hub.
“I don’t respond when I get threatened with a vote in the next election and I don’t respond when I get demeaned for the position and the work that I do to represent not just my community of Wallaceburg, but all of Chatham-Kent,” said Councillor Carmen McGregor.
Councillor Marjorie Crew said some vocal residents have also attempted to intimidate council into voting against the project.
“I don’t think one of us has not been called a name through this,” she said.
Councillor Anthony Ceccacci echoed Crew’s experience and said he was “bullied and harassed” so often over the project that he almost allowed himself to be swayed by the negativity.
“The amount of malice that I’ve heard over the last several months has been truly unfortunate,” he said.
Councillor Lauren Anderson also accused unnamed members of council of spreading disinformation to create public mistrust in councillors, the mayor, and CK administration.
“There has been an incredible disservice to the community. It was based on a smear campaign started by a councillor followed by others ignorantly and others piggybacking off the vulnerabilities created and have started campaigning for the next election. It was designed to spread misinformation, cause fear and financial distress to the public,” said Anderson. “To those I say shame on you for abusing your place of influence to prey on the ignorance of others for your own personal or political gains.”
Councillor Thompson also expressed concerns over the public criticism council has faced over the past several months. Stating that any decision made would result in “ill will and malice” from “extreme voices in our community,” Thompson refused to vote on the motion and recused himself.
“Something has happened that has never happened in all my time on council and I find that I cannot separate the politics from the project and judge the proposal on its own merit,” said Thompson.
Councillor Jubenville said she would not support the Hub after hearing from many residents who oppose the project.
“It’s been overwhelmingly against… rural Chatham-Kent is not in favour of this,” she said. “I understand that it’s already been budgeted for but we still have to be good stewards of the public purse and I just feel that this is a great project but… it’s not a need, it’s a want.”
Councillor Storey cited several needs in the community such as addressing homelessness, affordable housing, and food insecurity as reasons why the Community Hub project should not move forward
“We can tell [residents] tonight that we respect their taxpayer dollars, we see the struggles of so many in our community and we will address the critical must-do needs, not the nice-to-do proposals,” she said.
The total estimated cost for the Community Hub is $52,883,600, which 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.
Municipal administration has maintained 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.
According to a “Class A” cost estimate, the Civic Centre, library, and museum 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.
Councillor Brock McGregor said not moving forward with the Community Hub would ultimately cost taxpayers more.
“This is an option that combines assets, decreases lifecycle needs, closes the infrastructure gap, and provides better service to our community,” he said. “With all of the information we have, it’s clear that going forward is the most financially responsible decision.”
Following the RFP process, administration is expected to return to council in September to seek approval for the most cost-efficient bid. Pending council approval, construction at the former Sears building could begin as soon as December 2025, with completion expected by the end of 2027.
Ahead of council’s vote on Monday, more than 20 deputations were received, a majority of which were in favour of repairing the existing facilities, rather than moving them to the Community Hub. However, it was noted that members of council received 160 written letters in favour of the project, while 50 were against it.