The Town of Hay River is one step closer to tearing down the old town hall building at 73 Woodland Dr.
A contract for environmental abatement was passed during a special council meeting Oct. 19.
Council approved an administration recommendation to award $138,000 to Imperial Construction and Restoration for the removal of hazardous waste from the structure.
The project is expected to begin late this month or early November with demolition to be done before the end of the year.
The company was one of four who submitted a bid for the contract and the only one which came under the town’s $150,000 budget, senior administrative officer Glenn Smith said.
Coun. Jeff Groenewegen raised some concerns about whether the foundation of the building will be retained as part of the project but Smith said it is intended for an entire new build to take place at a later date.
“I think the administration identified some concerns and recommendations to start new with the removal of the foundation so that we can have a blank slate for it meeting our business and technical requirements,” he said.
Smith said the eventual plan is to have a near-zero type building, meaning an environmentally sound building that will emit near zero carbon emissions. This would in part help the municipality find government dollars to assist with new construction, he said.
“It’s been difficult to identify other funds that might support a municipal office building,” he said.
“We do have it in our capital plan and we are starting design work now but funding is the key variable with that project.It could impact our schedule for when we actually are able to build.”
A separate contract for demolition of the building was to be issued following last week’s approval by council. Smith said having the two jobs separate will provide opportunities for local companies in the case where they could not bid for the abatement portion of the project, Smith said.
“We’re trying to minimize the period between abatement work and the actual demolition so once this is approved. We will move forward as soon as possible towards getting the demolition contract awarded so that it’s out before the abatement is completed,” he said.
Mayor Kandis Jameson and Coun. Brain Willows pushed to ensure that the location will not be unsightly and that it is properly filled.
“That would be a concern I believe council and the residents in this community that we’re going to have to look at something horrendous for a long period of time,” Jameson said.
Smith said that the municipality is aiming to ensure the site is filled, however details on suitable landscaping will still need to be done after the demolition process.
The two-storey building was discovered to have mould and asbestos in 2014.Since that time, roughly a dozen municipal staff has been situated in the Wright Centre across the street, which has included a tight council chambers.
A rebuild of the town hall has been scheduled over 2023 and 2024 in the municipality’s 10-year capital plan presented last month and is indicated as a more expensive item.
“It is obviously a significant capital project and with any huge capital project it would take some time from design phase and to completion,” Jameson said. “But it is like eating an elephant where you do it one piece at a time. But it will be a big project for the town.”
Coun. Robert Bouchard said he would like to see a more solid business case for the construction of a new building as it is still possible the new council could go in different direction.
“I have asked for the business case because sometimes it is cheaper to rent than it is to own, but the municipality is going to be here forever, so it’s not like we’re not necessarily a business, either,” he said. “So while a business case hasn’t been brought to council, that being said, you still need to deal with this building that is sitting empty.”