 _ Whig 2007-02-26(2)(Updated: 2007.02.26 05:11:53 PM) |
Above: The Imperial Warehouse in October 2003.
Demolition cost of $100K part of budget talks
The Whig Standard
Local News - Monday, February 26, 2007 Updated @ 12:25:40 AM
By Jordan Press
Whig Standard Staff Writer
It’s an old building the city wants to demolish, but some residents feel there is value in keeping the historic structure.
The former Imperial Oil warehouse on North Street, behind Rideaucrest Home, could be torn down this year.
City staff have recommended the century-old, grey stone building come down at a cost of $100,000. While the outside looks solid, the inside is not.
Some say the money would be better spent finding an alternative use for the industrial building, to which the city gave a heritage designation decades ago.
“I think there are people that appreciate the value of the building as an industrial building because we don’t have many left,” said John Duerkop, who sits on the city’s heritage committee.
Duerkop said the building has been “fairly obscure” because of its location, but that could change when the city extends Wellington Street. The building would then be prominent along the road, Duerkop said.
Duerkop said some residents have said the city should spend the $100,000 on a thorough evaluation of the property to see if it can be stabilized and produce a business plan for it.
However, councillors will have the final say on how – or even if – the money is spent.
The money for demolition is laid out in the city’s $43.3-million capital budget, which council has yet to approve along with the $250.9-million operating budget. As it stands, the budget includes a tax increase of 3.75 per cent.
Budget deliberations are to continue Thursday after a hiatus of more than two weeks. Another meeting will take place one week from today.
Councillor Bill Glover said he found the idea of demolishing the building “deplorable.” Glover has asked council to reconsider the idea.
This year, budget deliberations started in January due to the election. Council normally begins deliberations in November in preparation for the coming year. The incoming council didn’t take power until December and needed time to learn the ropes.
Budget deliberations have gone longer in the past, some almost to the final billing date.
The many new faces on council have meant politicians want to be careful with handling a city budget for the first time, Glover said. “Budgets take time.”
Councillor Lisa Osanic said she hopes to see a budget approved by the end of March.
“The hard part now will be the capital budget,” she said. “That will be the source of debate.”
Councillor Leonore Foster said her experience has been that it’s better to set the budget earlier than later.
“The later you leave your budget … the less likely you are to get the projects done that you want to have done,” she said.
Foster said this year her feeling is the process has taken too long.
Meetings were to take place on Feb. 14 and had been tentatively scheduled for today and tomorrow, but all were rescheduled.
The Valentine’s Day meeting was snowed out. That pushed two major staff reports on the downtown sports and entertainment centre to last Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
When the meeting was recessed after 11 p.m. that night, the remainder of the meeting was rescheduled for tomorrow night. At that meeting, councillors are to debate a motion that, if passed, would cancel construction on the arena.
There is also a second motion on the floor to overturn the decision to rename Market Square after the Springer family.
Both projects have funds in this year’s capital budget, including overruns of more than $4.3 million on the arena.
Staff have also recommended spending $250,000 on a North Block redevelopment strategy, and $500,000 on Market Square’s refurbishment.
The Market Square money would be spent in advance of receiving the dollars through fundraising.
The council meeting begins tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall. Budget deliberations continue Thursday at 5 p.m. in the council chamber.