Council has approved a change of plans to how the development of the future Community Support Centre is handled.
“The recommendation before you is a staged approach,” said Monique St. Louis, director of Build St. Albert. During Monday night’s meeting she presented a plan that splits the project into two phases – the first a rehabilitation and expansion of program space for the 50+ Club’s current building, and a second phase concentrating on development and construction of the Community Support Centre.
St. Louis said splitting the project up and tackling the 50+ Club building separately would help control cost escalation, provide an opportunity to conduct an open site search for the Community Support Centre and allow for a fresh look at the facility model. The rehabilitation and expansion is estimated to have a budget of $2.37 million
Earlier this year, council increased the scope of the project by asking that other interested community groups be considered as potential stakeholders and to include public-private partnership condos as part of the centre.
Staff recommendations were that administration present a project charter for consideration in the 2014-2016 budget and that council approve a deadline extension to June 2015 from June 2014 for administration to evaluate the opportunity for a public/private partnership to build condos as part of the centre, as well as to research financing options.
Lesley Hogan, president of the 50+ Club, was on-hand to express the club’s support for the staff recommendations.
“We’re very excited about it,” she said, noting it allows the club to retain its prime downtown location and continue to operate during construction.
Coun. Roger Lemieux made the motion to accept both staff recommendations with one change, which was for the project charter for the rehabilitation and expansion of the 50+ Club be presented to council during just the 2014 budget deliberations instead of the 2014-2016 budgets. The motion was passed unanimously by council.
