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"Town Hall" (Administration / Police / Fire Satellite) Project
To begin to address a number of identified issues and challenges related to some of the District's major municipal facilities (Municipal Hall, Police, Fire Hall, Public Works), in 2006 the District commenced a strategic and coordinated process of issues/needs identification, public consultation, examination of options, financial/revenue source analysis, and corporate prioritization. In November of 2006 the District convened a “Facilities Charette” which was attended by over thirty individuals representing the Municipal Council, Police Board, Municipal Staff, the Advisory Planning Commission, local School District, Greater Victoria Public Library, local First Nations, the architectural community and several citizens-at-large. The purpose of the Charette was to engage the greater community in a broad-based discussion about the District’s various facilities issues and challenges; to brainstorm and “vision” creative ideas about potentially acceptable facilities scenarios and options; and to discuss and prioritize appropriate next steps and actions on the part of the District.
The principal outcome of the 2006 "Facilities Charette" was the general endorsement of a particular “scenario” of how the District’s major facilities might be sited and prioritized in the future so as to better serve the needs of the community. In summary, the scenario endorsed at the Charette, and subsequently endorsed by Council in January 2007, would provide for:
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The Municipal Hall to remain in its current location in Saanichton;
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The main Fire Hall complex to be relocated to the Keating area so as to provide better coverage and response times, and possibly be co-located with the Police Department and the Public Works division either at the current Works Yard site, or in a more appropriate location in the Keating area;
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A “satellite” Fire Station to be located in the Saanichton area, possibly at the site of the current Municipal Hall;
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Mixed uses (i.e. housing; commercial parking; retail commercial; etc), including the possible involvement with the private sector, to be further explored as a potentially valid option in any future re-development of the existing Municipal Hall complex;
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The Library / Cultural Centre complex to remain in its current location in Brentwood bay.
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A further outcome of the Facilities Charette was Council's endorsement of a set of priorities to address the District's various facilities needs and challenges. In summary, these priorities are to be as follows:
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"Public safety" to be the highest priority, meaning the structural integrity of the buildings that house the Fire, Police, and Public Works functions. This includes the concept of a new main Fire Hall possibly co-located with the Police and Public Works Departments at the current Works Yard site or in another appropriate location in the Keating area. Of paramount importance within this first priority is to be the addressing of the main Fire Hall issue;
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The second priority, although not mutually exclusive of the afore-noted highest priority, to be the re-development of the existing Municipal Hall complex in its current Saanichton location;
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The third priority to be the various issues related to the Library and Cultural Centre, recognizing that if leisure and recreational programming is located in any future Municipal Hall re-development, it would free up a potentially earlier opportunity for the possible expansion of the Library Branch.
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Particularly since the Fall of 2007 the District has been engaged in an active facilities planning process focusing primarily on the highest “public safety” priority identified from the Facilites Charette. Utilizing the services of Omicron Architecture Engineering Construction Ltd., the District has completed the following scope of work over the last two years:
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High level assessment of the District’s current facilities, including energy and green building targets; |
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Site redevelopment scenarios for both the Municipal Hall and Public Works yard sites; |
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Site review and analysis of several potential new building sites on Keating Cross Road, including the Public Work Yard site; |
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Site fit testing for two new building options (main Fire Hall; and combined Fire/Police facility); |
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Cost analysis of the two proposed new building options (including LEED Silver certification); |
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Analysis of potential efficiencies of constructing a combined Fire/Police facility (cost and program); |
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Market value appraisal information for potential new building sites on Keating Cross Road; |
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Fire Hall Location Review Analysis of One versus Two Fire Station Model. |
Most recently, the District has completed a detailed Building Condition Assessment of the existing Municipal Hall complex (Administrative / Police / Fire wings). The Building Condition Assessment comprised two distinct phases. The first phase was a detailed mechanical, electrical, architectural and structural evaluation of the existing Municipal Hall complex, including the preparation of order-of-magnitude cost estimates to bring the existing complex into minimum compliance with the Building Code. The second phase was a conceptual planning study to determine the extent of the potential renovation and expansion required in order to accommodate the District’s future space needs and program requirements. In this second phase the consultants developed detailed program requirements for all Municipal Hall functions (Fire, Police and Administrative); created Blocking Plans to illustrate the program areas, functional adjacencies and the building foot print (perimeter); and created an updated and expanded budget in support of any future Business Case for “building new versus renovating and expanding” the existing Municipal Hall complex.
After carefully considering all of the technical and financial information which has been developed over the course of the last two years, in late October 2009 the Municipal Council made a number of key decisions on a future direction and next steps to be taken in the District’s facilities planning process. Specifically,
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Council has endorsed the concept of a two Fire Station model for the District of Central Saanich, with a new Main Fire Hall to be constructed in one of the preferred locations in the Keating area which have been recommended, and with a satellite Fire Station to be located at the site of the existing Central Saanich Municipal Hall;
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In regards to the future status of the existing Police facility, Council has committed to undertake a concurrent process to formerly explore options for the redevelopment of the Municipal Hall site, including the involvement of the private sector, with the objective of construction of a new joint Municipal Hall / Police facility.
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In regards to the proposed new Main Fire Hall project, information on this project may be obtained by selecting New Main Fire Hall.
In regards to the Municipal Hall/Police Facility component of the District's major facilities strategic planning process, the District has engaged D’Ambrosio Architecture & Urbansim to prepare a schematic design and initial preliminary cost estimate for a proposed new joint Municipal Hall/Police ("Town Hall") facility to be located at the current site in Saanichton.
In this regard, at a joint Council / Police Board Meeting held on December 2, 2010, the architect and Staff reported out on the work completed to date. Various materials were presented at the Meeting including schematic plans for the site area concept and proposed building, concept plans for the proposed Fire Satellite addition to the existing Fire Museum, Class "D" cost estimates for the various facilities, and an economic / land value analysis of various development scenarios for any potentially surplus municipal land not required for the facilities. Subsequent to the joint Council / Police Board Meeting Council then adopted the following motion:
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Staff be requested to prepare, for consideration of early approval in January 2011, a Supplementary Budget Request to proceed with further schematic design to a stage sufficient to present appropriate informational materials to the public at an open house to be held in late May 2011. The scope of work for this next phase would be anticipated to include the following components:
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Further Advancement of Schematic Design; |
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Class “C” Cost Estimate (Building Costs) |
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Determination of Order of Magnitude Range of Costs Related to Temporary Relocation / Phasing of Work (Associated Project Costs) |
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Council, for the purposes of moving forward in 2011 with further schematic design for public presentation in the Spring, endorse in principle “Schemes ‘B’ and ‘C’” as presented at the December 2, 2010 Joint Council / Police Board Meeting (i.e. Retain site area for future civic use and surface parking; replacing underground parking level at Town Hall building; future potential build-out using surface parking and/or partial civic use area);
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In order to take advantage down the road of all potentially available “Green Building” grant programs and/or low interest loan opportunities (i.e. GMF Programs), further schematic design proceed on the basis of the facilities being designed, constructed and certified to meet minimum criteria of LEED Canada Silver as per the District’s “Municipal Green Building Policy” which was formally adopted in 2008; and,
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Staff be requested to investigate and report back to Council in 2011 on all potentially available grant and partnership funding sources for this project.
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A further report regarding the recommended next steps and scope and cost of work for 2011 was considered by Council at the February 21, 2011, Regular Council Meeting. As a result, Council granted early approval to proceed with the Supplementary Budget Request included with the report, in order to proceed with the proposed scope of work for the next phase of schematic planning for this project.
On Monday, May 30, 2011, at a Joint Council/Police Board Meeting, the architect and Staff provided a presentation of the work completed to date. this work included further schematic design for the project, an investigation of options for temporary relocation of municipal facilities and staff and the phasing of construction, and an updated estimate of building costs (“hard costs”) and associated project costs (“soft costs”). The Chair of the Parks and Facilities Committee also provided a brief presentation on Potential Redevelopment Options/Scenarios for Surplus Lands on the Site.
On Thursday, June 23, 2011 an Open House occurred at the Fire Training Centre where the public was given the opportunity to learn more about the proposed project of the new town hall. A presentation was delivered by D'Ambrosio Architecture & Urbanism.
Further information on the District’s “Town Hall” project may be obtained by contacting the Municipal Hall at 250-652-4444.
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