Monday night’s council meeting could go down as one of the largest attended.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff announced on April 28 that this Monday’s meeting would be moved to the John D. Bradley Convention Centre in anticipation of the larger-than-normal crowd.
Up for vote at Monday’s meeting is proceeding to the next step of the hotly debated Chatham-Kent Community Hub (CKCH) project.
A meeting in October, 2024, during which the hub design contract was awarded to Architecturra Inc had 25 public deputations with nearly four hours of discussion, debate, and questions.
Last week, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent released a report detailing the cost breakdowns of repairs and renovating the current civic centre, library, and museum compared to the proposed hub complex in the former Sears building at 100 King Street West.
The move to the Bradley Centre to accommodate a larger turnout is not new to Chatham-Kent council. Just over a year ago, the meeting on May 27 was held in the convention centre ballroom to accommodate the increased number of residents attending due to their concern over the proposed York1 landfill near Dresden, along with heated discussions over the municipality’s flag raising policy and ward boundary review.
Monday night, deputations will be allowed on whether council should approve moving to the construction procurement phase in the CKCH project. A vote in favour would keep the community hub renovations on the anticipated timeline of being completed by the end of 2027.
Some local residents have been vocal in sharing their concerns over the cost of the new hub. Most recently, holding a “Put the Brakes on the Hub” protest King Street West, and another in Tecumseh Park in the fall of last year.
Concerns over costs also has Councillor Alysson Storey asking for financial transparency and accountability if the CKCH project advances to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage. Storey, whose grandfather designed the current civic centre, would like to see a report that includes the current operating budgets for the three facilities being relocated, identified projections of any increased operating costs resulting from the move to the new location, and explanations of how those increased costs would be funded.
Doors to the Bradley Centre will open at 5:30 p.m. with the meeting starting at 6 p.m. The session will also be broadcast live on YourTV’s YouTube Channel for those unable to attend in person.