Having lived in the same home for several decades, Bonnyville Town Council agreed it was time for the municipality to “move on” last week, giving local administration directive to kick-start a full-scale relocation project.
After being asked by council to look into the possibility of either relocating or renovating its current location late last year, assistant CAO Bill Rogers brought forth several scenarios for the municipality to consider.
“Based on our initial research, when looking at options, we focused on three main areas for consideration by council: construction of a new facility, substantial renovation of the existing facility (or) renting or leasing suitable accommodations,” Rogers stated in a report submitted to council.
He added, “We're now looking to obtain directive from council as to what your preferred direction would be.”
Coun. Ray Prevost has long been a believer that the current Town Hall facility, located on the corner of 49 Ave. and 50 Street, was coming to the end of its life. Speaking at last week's meeting, he indicated that moving to a new facility was his preferred option.
“I don't believe this building could even be renovated, given the small amount of space and room we have to work with. The building is old, it's limited for space and I think it's time to move on this project,” Prevost said. “We've been putting this off for far too long. Building and moving to a new facility is the way to go.”
Although nothing has been decided regarding a potential site for the facility, Coun. Lorna Storoschuk said she would like to see the new Town Hall stay downtown.
“I'd really like to see (the new facility) stay in the downtown area. I know a lot of people like to walk here (from their place of work or residence). I just think if we relocated to somewhere outside of Town, like Eastgate, we'd be quite a ways out of town. I'd like to see us stick (to our roots) and remain downtown.”
Mayor Gene Sobolewski indicated he would be in favour of constructing a new Town Hall building, but stated he would like to see the project “done properly” so as to tie the municipality over “for several years.”
“We've been here (in our current location) since Noah left the Arc. I agree (that moving to a new facility would be the best option). We need to make sure, when building the new facility, that it will be something that will take us into the next 20 to 25 years, without being on top of each other (space wise),” Sobolewski said.
Council passed a motion to present administration with $30,000 so it can engage in a process to obtain proposals for a planning study for a new facility.
