Chatham-Kent mayor stands behind community hub project

Criticism has swirled around a proposed community hub for downtown Chatham with claims of huge cost overruns that will send taxes soaring.

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The project comes up for discussion at Monday’s Chatham-Kent council meeting and Mayor Darrin Canniff said he wants to address misinformation he’s been hearing in the community.

Council will have to decide whether to proceed with the next step in a plan to spend about $53 million to transform the former Sears building in the Downtown Chatham Center to include a new city hall along with new library and museum all under one roof. The other option is spend about $37 million to renovate the existing Civic Centre.

“This is a big decision for our community,” Canniff said.

Whether residents support the community hub project or not, he said, “I want them to know all the facts.”

Canniff said the most common misinformation he hears is the hub project is going to increase taxes.

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While there are other cost pressures the municipality faces that will impact taxes, the mayor said, “Our taxes are not changing because of this project. We have saved up over time.”

He pointed to the rehabilitation of the Third Street Bridge as an example of a large project that was done without raising taxes.

Canniff said he’s also heard claims the project is going to cost $100 million.

He said the process approved for the project at this point is based on the cost of $53 million, minus the estimated $9 million that will come from selling the existing Civic Center and Chatham Public Library buildings.

Canniff said if the project costs come back at “any material amount over” the estimated cost “I will not support it.”

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The mayor also noted he has personally called many people to clarify the facts about the project. He has pointed out there are going to be efficiencies such has one HVAC system to serve the three facilities and meeting rooms, including the new council chambers that can be shared.

The current state of the Civic Center means renovations, which has been voted down twice in past years, can’t be put off any longer, he said.

“We are at a point where we have to fix up the current Civic Center or do this project.”

Canniff said at Monday’s meeting, council will be asked to proceed with the detailed design phase, which is necessary for the project to seek requests for proposals to determine the actual cost.

Rob Myers, who has invested heavily in downtown Chatham, is a co-owner of the DCC. The ownership group proposed the community hub as part of a larger plan to redevelop the downtown mall.

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Myers said even without the sale of the Civic Center and library buildings, for $16 million more than renovating the Civic Center, the community will have a new city hall and new larger library and museum.

The proposed project calls for a new library to be 4,048-square meters (43,569 square-feet) compared to the current space of 2,133-square-metres (22,960 square-feet).

The proposed hub also calls for increasing the current museum from 1,087-square-metres (11,700-square-feet), which includes shared spaces, to 2,724-square meters (29,324-square-feet).

The entrepreneur, whose family recently donated $1 million to the new Children’s Treatment Center of Chatham-Kent building project, also plans to provide financial support to a new library and museum.

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Myers said he intends to “raise and donate a lot of money to these projects.”

Noting he and developer Ron Nydam have spent millions of dollars in downtown Chatham, Myers said “We’re going to spend millions on the mall.”

He said the Civic Center and library buildings would attract buyers, noting the Civic Center would make “fabulous condominiums” or possibly a hotel.

Canniff said a new community hub will “create new assets” whereas renovating the civic center “adds absolutely zero value to the taxpayer. It’s a cost.”

Myers said the proposed project “will bring new life into downtown Chatham.”

Canniff said the proposed community hub is being designed “for the next 50 years” to help attract new residents and “provide the best facilities for our youth.”

The mayor sees the project as a decision point on “what kind of a community do we want?”

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