Efforts are continuing to find the money to replace the community hall which is fast approaching the end of its useful life.
The District of Houston council June 21 gave approval to apply for a grant to the Union of BC Municipalities which itself receives money from the federal government for large scale projects undertaken by local governments.
In outlining the grant program, deputy corporate services director and grant writer Madelaine Swift noted that the grant program is “specifically targeted for the capital costs of local government infrastructure projects that are large in scale [and] regional in impact …”
Council first began considering replacement costs in 2017 when a report it commissioned suggested a new hall would cost $4.9 million.
A new estimate prepared just last year placed the cost at just over $7 million and staffers provided an updated potential cost as part of the grant application.
Swift did note that any grant received for a community hall would have to be spent by the end of 2027.
Consultants, as part of the 2021 cost estimate, identified a former provincial government industrial storage site at 2145 Butler Avenue, the corner of Butler and Fifteenth, near the leisure center as a preferred location for the structure.
That’s considered a brownfield site, opening the possibility of senior government grants to address the issue of contaminants.
What’s envisioned by the consultants is a structure of 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.
The District does have a reserve account to help pay for a replacement and it now stands at $1.211 million.
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.
According to a study prepared for the district in 2017, the facility has a maximum 14 years left under the best circumstances.
The District of Houston council has also given its staffers the approval to apply for a grant to aid it in developing a master plan for the long term of what’s needed when it comes to water, sewer, storm sewer and roads.
“This could also incorporate long term capital planning as a cohesive plan and provide direction moving forward and would synergize and capitalize on asset management work to date,” wrote Swift in a memo outlining the benefits of having a civil infrastructure plan.