Rocky View County (RVC) administration was directed to revisit the design for a new county office at council’s meeting July 14, after a vote to proceed with construction as recommended failed on a tie.
According to administration, the need for a new facility was first identified in 2006 when the feasibility of adding a second storey to the existing building in Calgary was investigated. When that was not deemed to be an option, administration began looking into alternatives.
“That started with the purchase of land (near Balzac) back in 2009, and council endorsed the master site development plan with the intent to develop a municipal campus,” said Byron Riemann, general manager of infrastructure with RVC. “Looking at our alignment with our County Plan documents, we feel that building this campus meets our pillars by creating efficiency and sustainability.”
Administration presented council with a number of options for a new facility, varying from an 81,000 square foot structure with an estimated cost of $47 million to a much smaller 37,000-square-foot building costing an estimated $23 million. In January 2014, RVC was approved for $32 million from the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, but the proposed design would require a budget adjustment in addition to that funding.
Renovations to the existing facility were also included as an option at an estimated cost of $27 million. However, some councillors argued renovations would be an inefficient use of funding.
“The fact remains that this building has mould in it, it’s 40 years old, it can’t be added on to going up, and we don’t even know if we can get development permits from the City of Calgary to do any renovations,” councillor Greg Boehlke said. “Right now, with this down market, it’s the time to be building.”
The option recommended by administration was to proceed with the design and construction of a 75,000-square-foot facility, estimated at $42 million. Deputy reeve Lois Habberfield made a motion to proceed with administration’s recommendation.
“This is a building for the long haul, and I think we need to decide – is Rocky View County here for the long haul, or are we a land bank for the bigger cities in our area?” she said.
Habberfield also pointed out by building on a new site instead of renovating the existing facility, the county would be able to recoup some of the costs through the sale of its Calgary location on 32nd Avenue Northeast and Deerfoot Trail. Her motion failed on a tie vote with councillors Bruce Kendall, Rolly Ashdown, Jerry Arshinoff and Reeve Margaret Bahcheli voting in opposition. Councillor Al Sacuta was not present at the meeting.
“I am not in favour of this building, but I am absolutely in full support of a future for Rocky View,” Arshinoff said. “This is the worst and most irresponsible decision that this council could ever make.”
Despite Ashdown tabling the item for further discussion after the public hearings, Kendall brought forward a motion to reconsider the item, which was passed with opposition from Arshinoff and Ashdown. Because reconsideration will only allow councillors to vote again on the same motion, Kendall amended Habberfield’s earlier motion to include a condition directing administration to revisit the design for a new facility, taking into account the current needs assessment.
Kendall’s motion passed 5-3, with Bahcheli, Ashdown and Arshinoff opposed.
“I think we can have much more cost-effective solutions to housing the current staff that we have and the future staff we will need,” Bahcheli said. “I think the original design for this building is ego on steroids, I think the master site development plan is ego on steroids, and I won’t be drawn into it. I think this is not a healthy direction for the county.”
