In a Special Meeting of Committee of the Whole on Monday night, BWG councillors were updated on the planned community hub at 177 Church Street, the old Bradford Public School.
The town acquired the 28,600 sq. ft. single-storey building and its three-acre property in late 2020.
The lands are designated as Residential in the town's official plan and zoned Institutional. A building assessment carried out by the municipality determined the structure, built in the '50s, was sound and in "good condition."
Why did the town buy it?
Chief Administrative Office Geoff McKnight provided the background, and reasons for the purchase.
For several years, BWG has been looking at plans for a centralized community hub, to provide a variety of community and social services for its residents. In particular, the town has been considering relocating the non-profit organizations currently housed in the aging, run-down St. Mary's building, and at 123 Moore St., home of the Helping Hand Food Bank.
"We took some action early 2020 with social service providers, and the purpose was to talk about their future aspirations and what kinds of space they would need to offer their services," said McKnight.
Fifteen groups expressed interest in the school site, which offers a central location, access to transit, on-site parking and room for expansion.
"We have a lot of demand and parties coming to us looking for meeting rooms," said McKnight, suggesting that the property could be redeveloped as a multi-purpose facility for everything from the food bank, to a business incubator and flex space.
"When the school became available (for sale), it was apparent it was an ideal site," he added.
BWG isn't the only community to develop a Community Hub. McKnight noted that the Town of Georgina can provide an example of how to move forward with the project.
In July 2011, Georgina purchased an old elementary school, similar in age and size to Bradford Public, and transformed it into 'The Link' community centre.
Renovated in phases, the initial tenants in 2015 included the Georgina Food Pantry, Georgina Trades Training Inc., Hospice Georgina, Sutton Seniors group, and the Georgina Chamber of Commerce.
The second and third phases of the project are now underway, to accommodate groups that include Jericho Youth Services and Georgina Community Living.
Bradford town staff and council took a tour of 'The Link' in October 2020 and were impressed with the building and the renovation work.
"It's good to see another community go through this before us, to take us through their journey," McKnight said. "It's a warm and inviting bright space for their clients to take advantage of."
The cost for acquisition, design and renovation of The Link was $10M, with an estimated operating cost of $627K per year. The intention is to recover two-thirds of operating costs through lease agreements and rentals, at a rate of $20-$23 per square foot, for non-profits.
McKnight posed two key questions to councillors. "To what extent do you want to take the renovations to?" he asked - to the same level as the Town of Georgina, or "just painting the walls?"
And should the aim be cost recovery, through rentals, or should the Town subsidize services like the food bank, which currently pays no rent for use of the building at 123 Moore?
He recommended getting some help at this point from an architect or structural engineer, before looking at the options and deciding on a renovation plan. The staff report recommended spending $75K to sole-source consulting services - dealing with the architectural engineers already working with the town on projects that include the new fire hall and renovated operations centres.
"Georgina's building was in a rougher state than ours," said McKnight, but there could be some systems that need to be replaced, in addition to questions regarding layout, space for a possible commercial kitchen, future expansions, and level of finishes.
"Most importantly, what are the relative costs of each option?" he said, noting that this is the time to go back to the stakeholder groups, to get their input on their needs, and to develop an operational strategy.
"Would we have staff on-site, or off-site? What kind of time frame are we talking about?" McKnight said, emphasizing the need for a business plan and strategy.
"Once council adopts that strategy and the leasing plan is in place, that is when we would do final drawings and move forward with tendering and construction."
In the meantime, McKnight told councillors, it might be possible to immediately provide space for the food bank in the northeast corner of the old school, which offers both a separate entrance and on-site parking.
"We certainly realize there is some urgency in trying to accommodate the food bank in a larger space," McKnight explained, especially during the pandemic. "It might be worth a discussion with the food bank to confirm exactly what their space needs are, what kind of configuration works for them and then we can look at how we can house them in this part of the building while renovations are going on."
The update generated quite a few comments and questions from councillors.
Coun. Gary Lamb expressed concern over future costs, noting, "There's only one taxpayer... If we spend $10 million, it comes out of one pocket" - but he still supported the project.
Lamb urged the town to keep the existing stage, in the school's gymnasium, as a possible theatre space.
"I hope that we can keep that room for performances and for council use if we need to have a public meeting when the library isn't available. It could be a very useful room for us," he said. "I think it's a great initiative and I hope we can see some Bradford performers there one day."
He was also supportive of accommodating the food bank. "I don't even want to charge them rent. A lot of volunteers, a lot of hard work - that is a service that could start tomorrow," in the school building, Lamb noted.
"It looks positive, but at the end of the day... there has to be some sort of income from the user groups," said Coun. Mark Contois.
"Everyone wants to be in there but there is a cost," Contois pointed out. "I am not saying ask for a profit, but it should pay for the heat and hydro."
He supported phasing the renovations and keeping costs to a minimum. "As far as the Taj Mahal - people don't need a Taj Mahal."
Coun. Raj Sandhu also supported the concept of a community hub.
"I like the ideas so far," Sandhu said. "It is taxpayers' money, but again we have to provide for these service groups to go in," especially the food bank, he said. The councillor asked if some of the land could be severed and sold off, to help cover the costs.
It is ultimately up to council to decide whether to hold on to the extra land for future expansion or to sell off a portion, McKnight responded, acknowledging that selling part of the three acres at market value "will help us considerably with offsetting the cost of the project."
Coun. Jonathan Scott, a graduate of Bradford Public School (which housed students in Grades JK-3) shared his enthusiasm for the project, as a means of revitalizing the community.
He urged the town to move forward, and move the food bank into a corner of the building.
"I think the greatest waste would be to let a $5.5M investment sit empty," Scott said, asking if the municipality could sell off the St. Mary's building and hall, and existing food bank building, to help offset costs.
He also asked if there were plans for any outdoor uses on the property and if the town was considering selling 'naming rights' for the rooms.
Naming rights are an option, McKnight replied, but as for the sale of the St. Mary's building, "We can't jettison older properties" until space is available for current tenants and services. In future, he said, "We do anticipate the sale of no longer needed properties" - money that would "come back into the pot" for facilities.
"I am really looking forward to this project going forward," said Coun. Ron Orr, noting that all of the tenants in Georgina's The Link pay rent, including the food pantry. "They had no problem with people wanting to pay rent to be in there," Orr said.
He was not in support of selling "surplus" land at the school site. "There's probably a situation where we might need that in the future," Orr said. "We just need to take our time and plan properly for the future. It has a lot of value."
"A great location, a lot of potential - we need to see a business plan," said Coun. Peter Dykie.
Mayor Rob Keffer said he is looking forward to the project moving ahead expeditiously, but warned that any consultant retained will have to be aware that BWG is a "frugal" community.
"We have to get value for our dollar," the Mayor said. "We don't have to be too fancy with it... We have to let our consultants know from the start what our expectations are, and we'll be able to work with a good team and get something done that our town will be proud of."
Deputy Mayor James Leduc, chairing the meeting, noted that the pandemic has brought a lot of issues to the forefront. He suggested the community hub could provide a space that will allow community groups to move forward.
"If there's one thing I want to do in life it's to give a hand up and not a handout, to help everybody be successful," Leduc said. "That $75K won't go to waste."
He added, "I look forward to it being a cutting-edge leading site."
Councillors unanimously voted to spend the $75K to move forward with plans for a Community Hub at 177 Church St., including a renovation strategy and business plan.
