Under time and cost pressures to get a shovel-ready funding plan for the Elliot Lake Community Hub to the Ford government at Queen's Park in 10 weeks, the city's political leaders have tentatively decided to recommend limiting venues in the Hub to sporting and recreation interests only.
At Wednesday's meeting of the Ad Hoc Community Hub Committee there was a strong consensus that the City of Elliot Lake Council should look for a permanent home for arts and cultural groups away from the Community Hub. That recommendation is expected to go to city council. The next regular meeting is scheduled on April 23.
Councillor Ed Pearce said the idea makes sense. He said planning to re-house arts and cultural venues should be a separate exercise from the one to accommodate a new curling rink, ice arena, swimming pool, gymnasium and multi-purpose fitness facility. Councillor Luc Cyr added that placing arts interests in the Community Hub might render them "mediocre". While putting them in a separate facility, he said would mean, “standing alone, it could be special. Arts are meant to bring about thought and are supposed to challenge us."
He went on, "It loses itself by just throwing it in with the Hub.There's too much to lose,” he noted, “but budget-wise, it would be ideal to run everything together and simpler."
At the same time, Elliot Lake CAO Daniel Gagnon said, "A museum in the Hub might work. I assume insurance would cover everything we lost (in the Feb. 21 roof collapse of the south wing of the Lester B. Pearson Community Centre).”
Mayor Dan Marchisella said, "There should be economies achieved if we include the theatre and arts component under their own roof and the recreation complex would encompass the sports spaces." But he also agreed with Councillor Cyr's comments that the arts community would likely be better off in its own facility. He concluded, "I think I'm more concerned this building accommodates sporting functions." Based on that, the Committee voted to separate the arts and sports facilities.
CAO Gagnon produced a 5 part spreadsheet showing the projected Community Hub's planning process which spanned the period from the original wishlist in April 2017 through four more revisions, to today's numbers.
The wishlist was for a 113,000 square foot building that would cost $49,000,000. Contrasted to that are the latest numbers which indicate a building with an 88,000 square foot footprint to cost $27,500,000.
Much of the discussion centred on the merits of putting up a prefab building, or a hybrid building, versus conventional construction. Several committee members were surprised when Mayor Marchisella noted there would be 30 per cent energy savings in the hub's operating costs with a prefabricated structure. As well a prefab structure could be erected much more quickly. Councillor Cyr said he favours prefab in a new city structure, noting there are already roof leaks in the conventionally built Pearson Plaza.
On a motion to defer a final decision on how to proceed, the Ad Hoc Community Hub Committee is set to meet again in another two weeks around May 1, when a consulting engineering company rep is expected to be on hand to answer detailed technical questions.
Councillor Tom Turner said if the building's cost stays at $27,500,000, the city's share would be $7,500,000 with the province providing $9,000,000. Some $11,000,000 would come from the federal government. But he cautioned committee members there are no guarantees and Elliot Lake could end up footing the bill on it's own.
Deadline for a pitch for a shovel ready design to be on the table in front of Ontario Minister of Infrastructure Monte McNaughton in Toronto is July. This is seen to be an excellent time to pitch the province, with more dollars expected to flow from the Ford government this year in hopes of convincing voters to look more favourably on the Conservatives heading into October's federal election.
Mayor Marchisella said the Ford government is expected to be looking at capital funding requests from some 62 Ontario communities including Elliot Lake by this summer. He said, "There is no magic number. The province did not give us a magic number." He concluded, "We need shovel ready projects, and we're not there yet."