Chatham-Kent takes next step in putting civic centre, library and museum into downtown mall

Chatham-Kent council has said yes to moving ahead with the next step in creating a "community hub" in the city.

The project would combine municipal offices, along with a library and museum in the former Sears store at the Downtown Chatham Centre shopping mall. Current estimates put the price tag for the project at around $53 million.

The mall was an attraction in its own rightwhen it opened in the 1980s. Four decades later only a handful of stores are still open and the municipality is hoping a facelift and added services will increase foot traffic.

"The library brings in 13,000 people a month," said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. "The civic centre actually brings 7,000 a month. So that's 20,000 people a month you're going to have going downtown. It's going to be huge things for the whole downtown."

At Monday night's council meeting, administration was also asked to provide more concrete high-level cost estimates for an alternative option of upgrading the current civic centre, library and museum instead.

"When you look at fixing up the civic centre, it adds absolutely zero value to the taxpayer," Canniff previously told CBC News.

LISTEN | CK mayor talks about community hub ahead of council meeting:

Windsor Morning9:37Plan to move Chatham-Kent municipal services, library, museum into old Sears store goes to council tonight

"We can tell them that they've got a nicer council chambers and nicer service desk. It doesn't have value, whereas we can build a museum and a library for basically the same price."

Canniff says he expects the project will be put out for qualifying tenders in a few months and from there a decision will be made.

"That's what we're ultimately going to decide. We need to see what it's going to cost. If it comes back at $67 million, not going to do it. If it comes within budget, we're going to do it."

According to Canniff, the current museum, library and civic centre have accessibility issues and lack space.

"There's deficiencies in accessibility in all the buildings. It's a great opportunity to step up that way."

And the mayor says the municipality has saved the necessary money to pay for the project.

"We've recognized over the years we have to do this. Whether we fix up the current civic centre or we move into this new project, we've got the money in the bank to pay for it. We will not be raising taxes for the capital aspect of this."

Canniff says while he's excited about the possibility of giving the downtown a major facelift he's also not fully supportive until the numbers are firmed up.

"If the cost came back way too high, I wouldn't support it."

Project opposition includes rural population

Karen Pynenbrouck lives in southern Chatham-Kent between the communities of Blenheim and Ridgetown.

She's opposed to the project and was a delegate at Chatham-Kent council advocating for money to be used on things like infrastructure instead.

Pynenbrouck says she's a "little disappointed" by the decision to move on to the next stage of the process regarding the project and that councillors seemed to have their minds made up before the meeting began.

"When you drive on the roads, they all need to be redone," she said.

Windsor Morning7:19Opponent of Chatham-Kent community hub project reacts to council decision

"I just think that we could be spending our dollars better. Let's spend it where everyone can use it. Which are the roads. Which are the water treatment centres. I don't think combining everything into a hub is as important, to as many people."

According to Pynenbrouck, she's heard a lot of misinformation surrounding the hub project and she believes it's partly to do with people not hearing directly from the municipality.

"The outlying areas haven't been told hardly anything about this project. They need to inform everyone. Not everyone has social media. Not everyone watches the council meetings," she said.

"Councillors should be out there doing town halls informing their constituents of what's going on."