Adam Bramburger
Beaver Staff
Facing overcrowding at its Odessa administrative building, Loyalist Township councillors directed staff Monday to explore a lease of commercial space in the Loyalist East Business Park.
This July, council supported an expenditure of $200,000 for a feasibility study on permanently moving administrative offices to the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre in Amherstview. The decision came both as staff realized they had outgrown the 45-year-old Odessa office, but it also would need between $500,000 and $1 million in investments in electrical, mechanical, and accessibility upgrades to be viable.
At that time, councillors also realized a permanent solution could be years off, so they asked staff to report on potential viable options to address the space constraints at the administrative building.
Superintendent of facility operations Anne Lindsay reported back at Monday’s regular meeting that staff had explored six township-owned properties —an existing leased residential property, the Bath parks garage, the County Rd. 6 roads garage, the former Odessa library, the former Odessa sewage plant, as well as the existing municipal office in Odessa — and available commercial properties to fit the township’s needs.
Three options were presented as viable. One would see the renovation of the County Rd. 6 roads garage.
An 3,000-square-foot unfinished second-floor space originally intended to accommodate offices was available. Staff estimated it could accommodate 15-20 staff with the installation of an elevator, HVAC upgrades, washroom expansion and the installation of a fire separation wall and gas seal. The renovations would cost $115,500 to $280,500 plus $85,000 for a hydraulic lift. It was thought, however, that the renovation would take at least 8-12 months for design and construction.
A second option would see the existing council chambers in the Odessa office repurposed as staff space. The 1,335-square-foot area was considered under-utilized, except for twice-monthly council meetings and committee meetings — though staff had been using the space for meetings due to a lack of space.
The renovation could accommodate eight-to-10 employees with two private offices and an open office space. Potential cost would be between $65,000 to $85,000. Lindsay noted the option might also force council to relocate its meetings to alternative sites, like the Wilton or Amherstview community halls, the Odessa Fairgrounds, or Bath’s St. John’s Hall — though the community halls might require accessibility upgrades, particularly in the washrooms.
The third recommendation involved a former real estate office at 101 William Henderson Drive in the Loyalist East Business Park. The 2,200-square-foot site already had a reception area, 14 private offices, and a 1,400-square-foot board room. It was available at a lease cost of $2,475 plus HST monthly ($29,700 per annum.)
Staff also investigated the lease or purchase of modular trailers but it did not see the value in pursuing them.
Councillor Jamie Hegadorn successfully made a motion to support the lease option.
“One of the main reasons we’re looking at this one is that it’s immediate. It’s basically move-in ready and it can fulfill our needs as well as parking,” he said.
Hegadorn added he liked the idea of upgrading the space at the roads garage as an intermediate step, but that step wouldn’t solve the current problem.
“It doesn’t matter where ewe go for a permanent office, it’s going to take some time. In the meantime, I want to make sure everybody is accommodated and functioning at peak performance. We need to do something immediately.”
Deputy mayor Ric Bresee called the report “an excellent first step,” and supported Hegadorn’s motion, but hoped a suggestion from one of the other proposals could also be adopted.
“I hope that council will consider over the next few years, as this process is carried out, the idea of taking council out into the various parts of the township. There’s no reason we can’t also move council around a little bit and make some connections with people in different areas.”
Councillor Ed Daniliunas asked if staff had considered operational efficiency and customer service when considering plans to move some staff away from the administrative building.
Interim chief administrative officer Steven Silver said staff had some discussions of that nature and noted following a council decision on a preferred option, a subsequent report would come that would address which staff would move and how it would impact on those factors. Silver added the township does have statistics about in-person visits with its various departments that it can weigh in making recommendations.