By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: April 18, 2018
Rotting foundations, old roofs and very old washrooms, cladding and HVAC issues, leakages and then rats scurrying around in the municipal hall: A recent report paints a grim picture of old and decaying municipal buildings.
A large portion of District facilities were constructed in the 1970’s or earlier, and many are the end of life, at over capacity or no longer good enough to provide service to the community, according to a new report presented to the council recently.
Eleven of the 18 District owned facilities, as many as 48 per cent, are classified as Stage 5, which mean end of life with a need for ongoing rehabilitation. Another 24 per cent are at Stage 4, which means major replacement needs.
The report recommends replacing older building such as municipal hall, arts council building, youth centre, dog pound, etc. In fact, over 40 per cent of the district’s facilities need replacement.
The price tag to make them new and shiny? $100 million and more. That is the amount of money District of Squamish needs if it were to replace, upgrade, expand or build new facilities to provide much needed services as the town expands and population grows.
A new shiny municipal hall that could meet the community’s need for the next 25 years could cost the district as much as $15 million, while a fire hall would cost $7 million.
District doesn’t have the $100 million available. It has reserve accounts of close to $10 million, and there are legal limits on borrowing. And even if it had the ability to borrow $90 million, servicing that level of debt would require annual property taxes that are neither practical nor sustainable.
Identifying surplus district property to sell, exploring options to reduce, defer or eliminate the need for new facilities and limiting acquisition of private lands to greatest extend possible, and finding the money through grants, partnerships, and sponsorship are some key ideas district now plans to explore.
Dave Colwell says
So why even contemplate tax relief for Corporations like Squamish Terminals or throw away money on whimsical projects which hardly even need to be named as as there have been quite a few recently??
Patricia Marini says
Get all these new developers to pay for it. They are making millions on the backs of Squamish taxpayers!
Jackie McBride says
This is just the beginning of the Fiasco the Current Administration has added to. Squamish will be faced with So many more issues going forward. I feel bad for future Councils having to pick up the mess that’s been created. DO NOT Tax us anymore, we didn’t ask or cause this-!The Rats are everywhere, composting and building, tearing down old structures to allow for new has equally added to that Dilema!
Parm Singh says
I can’t see any thing wrong with the building. Sounds not right.
Dave Colwell says
Put on a new roof where needed. Paint where needed. Bring in some cats to catch the rats. Problem solved. Seriously, it is ridiculous to say that all Municipal buildings need to be rebuilt. Have they not been properly maintained since they were built?….my house has been since 1975 and it is almost like new. Sure there have been changes to the coding but any house can be made safe regarding electricity. Plumbing can be easily upgraded and buildings can be made waterproof. DOS, find some responsibility, please!….it seems to be elusive!
Jasmine Henczel says
I find it curious that this article shows a picture of Firehall 1, in Valleycliffe. Take a drive past the main firehall, Firehall 2, on Tantalus Drive and you can get a better feeling for how far in disrepair this essential service building is. There should not be another penny spent on this building. It needs to be torn down and replaced. Period. City Hall on the other hand should be lower down on the list.