Rocky View County Coun. Jerry Arshinoff continues to oppose the motion made by county administration to build a new administration building with a price tag of $32M.
Arshinoff will be putting forward his Notice of Motion at the July 14 county council meeting, outlining other country infrastructure projects he feels should be put before the new facility.
This is the same day that council will be voting on whether or not to give the new administration building the green light.
The outspoken councillor said he feels a new building is simply unnecessary and is exemplary of wasteful government spending — particularly with other projects such as drainage issues, roads and recreational facilities in greater need.
“When your sump pump is working overtime just remember it’s a small price to pay in order for your councillor to have a picture window in his private office,” Arshinoff wrote in a letter to the Eagle in early March.
Arshinoff said the argument that the county would lose their MSI funding if they didn’t move forward with this project is ‘utter nonsense’ and that the list he has compiled of nearly 25 infrastructure projects would all be eligible for MSI funding if applied for.
The estimated cost of all projects is roughly $42M, with $32M that could potentially be available through MSI funding if the county does not proceed with the new administration building.
According to Grant Kaiser, manager of communications for the county, the access, mechanical, electrical and energy efficiency deficiencies outlined in the county’s Vantage Point publication were a result of an independent external consulting firm.
While Kaiser did confirm that the money could be returned and the county could reapply for the funding for other infrastructure projects, the concern remains whether the new government would approve new projects at this point.
The Vantage Point special edition (released in early March) outlined the deficiencies of the new building, including its 35-year age, the growth of county staff, reoccurring mould and insect infestation, a taxed electrical system, plumbing and telecommunication issues and outdated infrastructure.
According to the report, the inadequacy of the building’s size has required the county to spend in excess of $240,000 annually on additional lease space; as well, over $56,000 a year is being spent on short-term maintenance costs, rather than solutions.
Arshinoff said a recent estimate to repair building deficiencies rang in at between $1.2M-$1.6M — a far cry from the price tag of building a new facility, which he has asserted would almost certainly result in far greater than the estimated $32M by the time everything is said in done.
With respect to the state of the building, Arshinoff said he would bet many officials of Calgary public schools and seniors care facilities would happily trade buildings, when comparing the declining state of many of these existing facilities to the county administration building.
“All of the time, the function of the government should be on a needs-basis,” said Arshinoff, asserting that while this is brought to light in times of economic uncertainty, governments should only spend what is necessary even when the money is flush.
