Municipal work-site properties evaluated for rehabilitation, expansion or sale

By Sharon Harrison
A staff report presented to council at Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting, outlined numerous recommendations for maximizing the use of municipal properties as a cost-saving measure, especially as it relates to creating opportunities to better accommodate County staff.

The proposed staff accommodation plan, from the recreation and community facilities department, outlines opportunities for surplus properties to be identified for sale, as well as proposals to relocate administrative staff, enabling the municipality to move away from leasing expensive office space.

To complement the report, a review was also undertaken by the operations department of the functionality of properties that are not used by the public (but are work-site locations), including the condition of the buildings and staffing needs. A summary for each location is listed at the end of this article.

Recommended changes included involve the Picton Town Hall, Bloomfield fire hall, the former Hillier fire hall (and Hillier town hall water source), Cherry Valley pit and equipment depot, Sandy Hook operational services, and Lake Street garage. The recommendation is to sell both the Cherry Valley and Lake Street work sites.

Specifically, there is a recommendation for an expansion plan proposed for the Sandy Hook operational services space (75 County Road 1, Picton) that would accommodate staff and equipment requirements from the consolidation of the Cherry Valley pit and equipment depot (30B Chourney Lane, Cherry Valley) and the Lake Street garage (115 Lake Street, Picton), which are recommended to be declared surplus (if Sandy Hook expansion is approved).

“Staff are recommending a consolidation of the operational services locations, as well as re-arrangements to some staff accommodations to move departments into municipal-owned properties, mitigating leased office space on the first floor of the Edward building,” stated Lisa Lindsay, director of recreation and community facilities, in her report.

“Staff feel the Lake Street equipment depot and Cherry Valley equipment depot could be closed, and the Sandy Hook property could be utilized to build-out to accommodate equipment and staff from the other two sites,” she said.

The initial phase of the Sandy Hook operations expansion would be funded by revenue from the Lake Street and Cherry Valley property sales which would go into the buildings reserve fund.

Lindsay said, if the recommendations are approved by council, a two-phased capital project would be brought forward in the 2026 budget for an expansion at Sandy Hook that would accommodate the operational needs of operational services, including the displaced staff and services from the Lake Street equipment depot and the Cherry Valley equipment depot.

Council did not approve these three items at this time, instead voting to defer them.

Some council members did not agree with the idea of declaring the two equipment depots as surplus, specifically councillor Brad Nieman, who put forward a motion to defer three agenda items (of the eight items proposed), specifically relating to the sale of the Lake Street garage and the Cherry Valley pit and equipment depot, including exploring expansion plans for the Sandy Hook operations.

The deferral vote passed in a 9-3 recorded vote (with mayor Ferguson and councillors Hirsch and Roberts opposed – councillors Engelsdorfer and Prinzen were not present).

Nieman’s deferral will allow staff to set-up a tour he requested for council members to visit the sites this summer to gain a better understanding.

“There are pictures that show us some of the bad things at these sites,” said Nieman, “but to fully understand and appreciate what’s happening, we need to see what’s going on.”

Given the amount of work and consultation already undertaken by staff, and information provided in the reports, CAO Marcia Wallace didn’t favour a deferral. “I appreciate that council hasn’t been toured of these locations, but that’s why you have experts on staff, that is why we did the RothIAMS study and I would ask you to trust the operational role.”

Nieman spoke to the proposed Sandy Hook operations expansion and his reasons for not agreeing with the recommendation, where he said council should take some time and “really understand what it is we are trying to do here. You are asking us to make this information in five days, and all we are asking for is a bit more information”.

He further added that a new operations garage on Sandy Hook will not be built.

“We are north of $10 million,” expressed Nieman, “and I cannot tell the public we are going to spend $10 million, but we can’t fix your roads. That is not going to happen. We are trying to get rid of the main garage on Lake Street, we are going to sell that to build a new garage on Sandy Hook, I just cannot sell that to the public.”

Mayor Ferguson said his understanding was the purpose of the tour will be to assess the facilities, so there is greater understanding of what they can be used for. “If that tour takes place, this would happen in very short order, and the deferred items would come back to council by June.”

Nieman explained it would not be to assess the facilities, as council are not professionals to assess buildings, “it is to gather information, it’s very simple, you have a lot of information and now you want to see what’s going on”.

Councillor Chris Braney said he wanted to move forward with selling some of these buildings, as money is needed for roads.

“However, I do not want us to sell these properties, then we are in a state where we are building some big complex,” stated Braney. “How can we sell that, we are already spending money like no tomorrow and I am not in favour of that. Can we move this along with a flag that it is not going to be hedged on building some new structure, because what’s the sense?”

Councillor Sam Branderhorst spoke to the Cherry Valley pit and equipment depot, which she said has three trucks in it all winter, with no space for the trucks to go anywhere else. Troy Gilmour, director of operational services, confirmed they may be able to go to Sandy Hook under a large coverall, “we would have to try to do some re-shuffling and try to squeeze them in, but it would be tight”.

“So then, where would the trucks from Lake Street go?” asked Branderhorst. Gilmour said if Lake Street was gone, a facility would be needed to house those vehicles. Branderhorst noted how each truck is $500,000 and asked how it would affect lifespan of the vehicles with no place to store them, as well as the staff morale who would be outside in winter fixing them.

“With staff morale, if they are outside, it would probably not go well,” added Gilmour, “and it’s a huge investment for every vehicle at close to half a million, so from a fleet mechanics point of view, they need to be kept cared for and stored inside.”

“We are we once again putting the cart before the horse,” added Branderhorst, “we are then saying, let’s get rid of these properties, we don’t have anywhere to put anything, but then let’s go and build something bigger, nicer and newer.”

The report also noted that $154,000 in unspent funds in the approved 2024 operating budget for physical properties accommodation work be carried forward and allocated to the 2025 operating budget to support renovations to the Bloomfield fire hall (126 County Road 32, Bloomfield) as a jointly-used space for the fire department and bylaw services department, which council approved.

Council also voted to declare surplus the former Hillier fire hall (65/79 Station Road, Hillier), retaining the portion that is Jack Taylor park, where staff were directed to explore options for Jack Taylor park and Hillier town hall water use (the town hall’s current water source is from the Hillier fire hall).

Braney noted how money is already allocated for a shelter and washroom facilities for Jack Taylor park, where he said the former Hillier fire hall is big (situated next to Jack Taylor park).

“Could we not possibly use that building to house these vehicles?” asked Braney. “Instead of spending all the money on changing the water, could we not then utilize that building to answer the dilemma? Maybe we could save a bunch of money and satisfy the needs of our community and the needs of our fleet, where we don’t have to look at re-jigging the water.”

Council was also asked to consider the Picton town hall (2 Ross Street, Picton) as a possible shared space for community and staff use, and to support the continued use of the adjacent parking lot for the Picton farmers’ market, which council voted to approve.

Lindsay explained council previously approved staff be temporarily housed out of the lower level of the Picton town hall, with agreement with the Picton farmers’ market for use of the space. She noted the first floor of the Picton town hall has been revitalized with office space and an accessible washroom.

The recommendation is that council would direct staff to maintain that as permanent office space on the first floor, and this would enable extending a more permanent Picton farmers’ market arrangement, she said. She also noted how the Picton town hall second floor community use space is active with high utilization.

“With council’s approval, this could become an opportunity that we could be moving, for example, the HR department to the first floor, this is the domino effect. Because the purchase of Upper Lake Street would be the perfect location and meet the needs to move the community facilities department there, with the environmental services team also that is currently located at Cherry Valley,” Lindsay explained. “In moving both of those teams into that space, it opens up a space for a department that is currently in the first floor of the Edward Building to move over to that space.”

All the recommendations outlined in the report will not place any strain on the tax levy, notes Lindsay’s report.

“Instead, when considered as a whole, they will generate net revenue that will be directed to the building reserve. The revenue from the sale of surplus properties will support the expansion and consolidation of operations while also providing additional funds for future asset lifecycle maintenance activities under the municipality’s asset management plan.”

The municipality currently leases office space in the Edward Building, on the first and second floor. The proposed property consolidation strategy and potential elimination of the first floor lease will significantly reduce lease costs, resulting in long-term operational savings, she said.

The building reserve was established in 2013 to provide a dedicated funding source for the maintenance, renewal and improvement of municipal buildings. It currently has a balance of $343,982.

Below is a summary of each facility evaluated, its condition rating by the Facility Condition Index (FCI), including work conditions and future considerations:

AMELIASBURGH FIRE HALL AND EQUIPMENT DEPOT – 13 Coleman Street, Ameliasurgh
On 7.13 acres of land with an equipment depot building and a large storage building.
Current condition: Three year FCI rating is 8.3 percent (fair condition). The roof, foundation, concrete slab and electrical upgrades will require maintenance in the coming years.
Work conditions: 14 staff members work here. The facility does not meet the current staffing and equipment requirements as the washroom facilities, lunchroom and storage for heavy equipment are not adequate.
Future considerations: This site is critical to serve the northern area of the County and is within Roblin Lake park. Renovations are required to meet the needs at this site. This property would not be considered for expansion due to the source water protection area.

SOPHIASBURGH (DEMORESTVILLE) EQUIPMENT DEPOT – 35 County Road 14, Demorestville
20 acres of land and has a sand/salt dome, dead storage, equipment depot, fuel centre, animal shelter, roads storage and transfer station.
Current condition: Three year FCI rating is 0.8 percent (good condition).
Work conditions: Nine staff members work here. The facility does not meet the current staffing and equipment requirements. Additional washroom facilities, lunchroom, and an electrical circuit are required for the environmental shed.
Future considerations: The location is ideal for response times and compliance for plows. Access to the pit is through the parking lot. Identified as a potential location for an organic waste processing site. Expansions are limited because nothing can be constructed within 500 metres of the pits or landfills.

CHERRY VALLEY (ATHOL) EQUIPMENT DEPOT – 30B Chourney Crescent, Cherry Valley
8.7 acres of land. There is one equipment depot building on the site and a Class B licensed pit that is currently active, however, the pit is unofficially closed with no extraction since the property was changed to institutional zoning some time ago.
Current condition: The three year FCI rating is 11.1 percent (poor condition). The facility requires repairs to the roof, flooring and washroom fixtures.
Work conditions: Nine staff members work at this location. The washrooms are frequently out of service, requiring a portable toilet to be on-site. The water system is on a well with no holding tank, and a new furnace is required. Inefficient location for outdoor spaces team as they require a central location to service all areas of the County.
Future considerations: Ideal location for plow parking during winter control of south area. Development will be limited according to the official plan, due to the site’s proximity to an active pit and former use as a waste site. The pit has a class B licence that is currently active, however, the pit is unofficially closed with no extraction since the property was changed to institutional zoning some time ago.

LAKE STREET-PICTON EQUIPMENT DEPOT – 115 Lake Street, Picton
1.37 acres of land. The site has one main equipment depot building, two storage sheds and two dumpsters. The equipment depot building is occupied by the operational services department.
Current condition: The three year FCI rating is 12.7 percent (poor condition). The furnace and roof are at the end of their useful life. The electrical panel is full and needs to be replaced.
Work conditions: 30 staff members work here in a very overcrowded office space with limited parking. Washrooms are inadequate requiring portable toilets to be placed on-site.
Future considerations: Location eliminates the need to float sidewalk plows to work locations. No sewer service at this site. Outdoor space staff would benefit from this central location.

SANDY HOOK WORKS YARD AND CROWE PIT, HALLOWELL – 75 County Road 1/Sandy Hook Road, Picton
16.69 acres of land. The site has multiple structures on it including the foundation of the old dome, a sand/salt dome, salt building, coverall, sign shop, storage shed and three sea cans.
Current condition: There is no FCI rating for the structures on the site because they are not buildings with full services. All of the structures are currently in use by the operational services department. Work conditions: No staff are housed here full-time, there is a transient workspace for two to three employees. One portable washroom.
Future considerations: Ideal geographical location for an expanded operational services team. What is known as the Crowe pit is currently active with a class B licence and a maximum extraction of 20,000 tonnes from a licensed area of 7.01 acres. Crowe pit is also used for snow storage. The site has an active aggregate extraction licence, but is closed with no extraction currently (staff expect this site plan to be relinquished). The Waring’s Creek watershed is nearby which could limit development. The contamination on-site will limit other uses. Master plan currently includes a road running through this site (further assessment is needed to understand how it would affect this busy worksite). It would be costly to move the dome, coverall, sign shop, fuel pumps and to secure new space for outdoor storage, storage buildings and the space/approval for snow storage. It would be costly to replace the salt and snow storage, requires special approvals, and may require retention ponds.

BLOOMFIELD FIRE HALL – 126 County Road 32, Bloomfield
4 acres of land and has one building and a four-bay garage.
Current condition: The three year FCI rating is 8.7 percent (fair condition).
Work conditions: An operating fire station and training facility for the Prince Edward County Fire Department. There are two washrooms, a meeting room and a functioning kitchen.
Future considerations: This space has potential to be a shared facility with the fire station and bylaw services team currently located at the Edward Building. Bylaw services have confirmed this location would provide the required administrative space, ample parking and is in a central location.

FORMER HILLIER FIRE HALL – 65/79 Station Road, Hillier
3.7 acres of land including Jack Taylor park.
Current condition: A facility condition assessment was not completed because it is designated as surplus. The former fire hall is in poor condition and used for storage.
Work conditions: Seasonal equipment storage for the operational services and recreation and community facilities departments.
Future considerations: This property has already been declared surplus, but there are conditions that affect the ability to sell. The Hillier town hall acquires water from the well on the fire hall property. Should a solution to the water issue at Hillier fire hall be rectified, Jack Taylor park would have to be severed from the lot and the old fire hall property could be made surplus and sold. Alternative storage locations for the seasonal equipment would be secured within the proposed accommodation plan.