BELWOOD – Township staff will press on with more specific costing of renovations to Belwood Hall after council approved the request at its June 16 meeting.
Kasey Beirnes, manager of buildings and property for the township, updated council on proceedings and findings to date, with support from officials at ATA Architects Inc.
Belwood Hall was originally constructed in the 1870s. It is used by the community for events, public meetings and private functions and is badly in need of repair.
It is not accessible, requires mechanical and septic updates and foundation repairs at minimum.
The building was divided into five zones for the study – entrances, the main hall, kitchen/servery, stage area and washrooms, along with a review of the structure, septic and mechanical systems.
Each zone could be restored individually, although staff and the architect see savings and efficiencies in doing the project all at once.
Washrooms
To make the washrooms compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), officials propose raising the floor, thus eliminating stairs, constructing a new entrance directly from outside rather than having to go through the main hall, and installing a janitor’s closet and three new washrooms – male, female and universal.
Preliminary costing pegs this renovation at $226,500.
Kitchen/servery
This renovation would adjust the doorway, redo the millwork and install new appliances. The servery opening to the main hall would remain. Cost for this renovation is $102,560.
Main entrance
The main change here would be to add a ramp and stairs and rework the main entry door to be AODA compliant.
More investigation into the septic bed just outside the entrance might impact what can happen here.
The cost is estimated at $218,400.
Main hall
The plan for the main hall is to upgrade the windows and add larger windows on the lake side of the structure.
A new storage room would be added, as well as new floors and ceiling.
The cost is estimated at $391,980.
Stage
The renovation proposes bringing the stage down to floor level, adding a new HVAC room and more storage space, at a cost of $107,760.
Council also heard the entire building needs new heating, air handlers and air conditioning. This could be done by zone, but the preferred method is to do it all at once.
Total construction cost is pegged at $1.592 million. With expenses already paid the renovation comes to $1.85 million.
Of that, $960,000 is not in the budget.
Councillor Lisa MacDonald expressed a bit of “sticker shock” at the price tag, but said she supports the project.
The rest of council agreed and approved the request.
Beirnes said the next step is to conduct a “Class B costing,” which will deliver more accurate pricing, and to prepare construction-ready documents, which would allow the township to apply for grants.
Beirnes said staff could also look at naming rights and other sponsorship opportunities to fill the budget gap.
The matter will return to council in September.
