The District of Houston is slowly advancing its plans to replace the aging community centre by purchasing the property at 2145 Butler on which it hopes to build a new one.
Once a provincial government industrial site and now vacant, council authorized payment of $155,000, less than the $193,750 it had earlier set as the maximum price it was willing to pay.
“The property is a brownfield site. All assessments and reclamation documents were reviewed and the District is comfortable that there is not significant risk to assuming ownership of the property,” said District of Houston chief administrative officer Michael Dewar.
The property is bounded by Poulton and Butler and 15th and 16th and is adjacent to the leisure centre.
Before the purchase, the District did ask for a legal opinion as to the risk of purchasing the brownfield location.
And it was that assessment which then satisfied council that it could make the purchase.
Brownfield sites are identified as such because past use may be hazardous for a new use without suitable remediation.
News of the purchase was released by council at its July 18 meeting.
Built at some point in the 1950s, the existing community hall is approaching the end of its useful life despite the renovations that took place over the years. More work is now needed, including replacing the roof.
In addition, the hall’s lower level and associated rooms are not available for rent since they lack access for people with mobility challenges.
Consultants in 2017 felt the facility then had a maximum 14 years left as a viable structure under the best circumstances.
A price now two years pegs the construction cost of a new hall at $7.04 million but a detailed design which would enable the District to forecast an up-to-date price has yet to be done.
The District estimates it will have $1.33 million in a reserve account by 2025 and a further $387,000 from a provincial grant to help with costs. It has also applied for two significant senior government grants.
Council first began considering replacement costs for the aging community hall in 2017 when a report it commissioned suggested a new hall would cost $4.9 million, only to have it rise to that $7.04 million figure in early 2021.
A preliminary design for a new community centre has a total building area of 6,200 square feet with 3,500 square feet of that taken up by a large assembly area.
The rest of the building would consist of two 400- square foot break out rooms, a 400-square foot kitchen as well as an office, washrooms and utility areas. The immediate outside would be taken up by parking, a playground, a space for outside events, greenspace and a garden.