Posted Jan 29, 2008, 4:46 AM
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It's Hammer Time
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,880
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Board narrows education centre options
January 28, 2008
BY ROB FAULKNER
Hamilton’s public school board voted last night to drop renovation as an option for its downtown Education Centre at Main and Bay.
The board, faced with scattered administrators in aging buildings, asked staff to present business plans for just two options at an April meeting.
Option one has lasted throughout the entire discussion of what to do with the headquarters and six other sites that house non-teaching staff.
It’s a $33-million plan to take the board out of the core and see it build a new headquarters for 600 or so administrative staff on the Jerome site, a treed plot the board owns southwest of the Linc and Upper Wellington.
Option two is one that only surfaced this month, as City of Hamilton staff proposed an Education Square redevelopment of the entire block where the board now sits.
It would include a McMaster University family medicine centre, City of Hamilton public health offices, two private hotels and the board.
The city has not yet presented the board with a business plan, so its cost is unclear.
A board staff report tabled Monday night stated that “retaining and renovating the current building is not a cost-effective option” despite its popularity with delegates at a recent meeting for public input and some trustees.
Staff say renovation could cost $65 million.
Trustees Ray Mulholland and Lillian Orban both opposed the motion, which didn’t preserve the ivory-hued landmark architect Joe Singer built in 1967.
Trustee Karen Turkstra abstained.
Daryl Sage, manager of planning and accommodation, said staff weigh three questions to narrow options: capital costs, operational efficiencies and long-term costs.
After 11 months of work on the issue, trustees had few questions.
Orban asked about the cost and agricultural zoning of the Jerome option.
Staff said the building would cost $22 million, with $11 million for extras like site work, taxes and design; and rezoning should not be a problem.
Turkstra asked if building a big training space is worthwhile instead of renting.
Minutes later board chair Judith Bishop asked to move in camera.
Bishop told media it dealt with contracts in the joint Mac campus, not private talk about touchy public matters.
“You should see this as an indication of our seriousness,” she said.
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