Wellington Town Hall expected to be up for sale, following council’s final approval

– Municipality of Prince Edward County photo

Following years of efforts, and consultations to save it, the Wellington Town Hall is expected to be declared surplus and put up for sale.

Councillors, at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, were tied in their vote on supporting the establishment of a foundation separate from the municipality. Motions lose on a tie and following a brief consultation on wording, the vote to put the building up for sale carried.

The final decision comes to council’s Dec. 9 meeting.

The Wellington Town Hall Foundation group was the only one to submit an expression of interest for the hall over the four-month period offers were sought. Volunteer members were seeking approval to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the County to outline terms, conditions and one to two years to phase in transition of ownership and stewardship.

Hillier councillor Chris Braney spoke to regular use of the state-of-the-art arena in Wellington, and to the Hillier hall. He reminded councillors he was the one to bring a motion three years ago to part with County properties that were not being used, or were in disrepair.

“Since that motion was approved and supported by this council, we haven’t sold a single outhouse in three years… I just see this municipality spinning its wheels constantly.

“We’re spending money like a bunch of sailors and we’re not getting to the crux of what we need to do to actually put money into infrastructure, into roads, and into things that are tangible… We need to start the ball rolling and parting ways with some of these properties.

He, and several councillors noted thanks to the foundation committee for its work preparing for a process where the hall vision would be to become like the Baxter Centre in Bloomfield with a foundation to raise capital funds and a programming department. Each of the groups would be able to apply for government grants and seek citizen or business funding support.

It was noted the Wellington Town Hall was one of the ones worst in the municipality’s holdings with foundation problems and considerable issues with the upstairs. It has not been used for several years.

Councillor Phil St.-Jean agreed with Braney adding “we recently went through an asset management plan that identified how bad things really are. We set a goal for ourselves of 25 per cent dispersed disposition of buildings. I don’t know how we’re going to get there if we don’t start.

“I think it’s rather short-sighted that we just talk about savings down the road,” added St.-Jean. “How are we going to fund the rest of those buildings? You fund them through the sale of the surplus buildings… those that can be saved without massive investment and such.”

St. Jean spoke to close to four years experience with the Picton Town Hall management board stating the process “is not easy” and adding that establishing a foundation takes a minimum of 24 months to go from not-for-profit to charitable foundation, with “massive amounts of time, paper work and legal costs.”

He also spoke to attending an open house in Wellington about five years ago with a standing room only crowd of which the “overwhelming majority put up their hand and said ‘yes,’ it’s time to let it go.”

Several councillors were supportive of the plan brought forward for a Wellington Town Hall Foundation. The volunteer members that spoke to it shared a wealth of experience on submitted biographies.

They hoped to receive the building for a nominal fee such as one dollar, and planned to raise all necessary capital and operating costs seeking grants, donations and partnerships with no support from the County once the year or two had passed, and a further assessment of the building’s deterioration was complete.

The building requires significant investment at an estimated $652,507 in repairs and replacement recommended from the Asset Management Plan before the end of 2026.

A total of $36,034.41 was spent on the Wellington Town Hall between 2023 and 2025 on contracted services, site repairs and maintenance, electricity, heat, and water and sewer. A minimum annual operating budget of about $15,000 to $19,000 was considered required to maintain the building until ownership could be transferred.

Mayor Steve Ferguson and councillors Janice Maynard, Sam Grosso, Kate MacNaughton, John Hirsch and Corey Engelsdorfer all voted in favour of moving forward with seeking a Memorandum of Understanding.

MacNaughton noted solid membership on the foundation board. Hirsch liked that it would get the County out of the maintenance and capital work that is otherwise required. Mayor Ferguson stated he felt that hall was vitally important to the community and that it be used by the community.

Engelsdorfer, Wellington’s councillor, said two years ago he thought it was best to sell until attending several open houses where he heard people wanted a foundation formed.

“I have no idea how much this building is worth (about five years ago stated to be $450,000), but I see this (foundation proposal) as the quickest way to get it off of our books and into somebody else’s hands. I see it as the final chance for that building. Given counsellor Hirsch’s (approved) motion to give them 12 months (instead of 24), if it doesn’t get done, then we’re pounding a for sale sign in the front lot. That’s my view.”

The official vote to sell the building goes to council’s Dec. 9 meeting. The full foundation submission is available on the County’s website.

Councillors appointed to Wellington Town Hall Expressions of Interest Working Group