Wellington County council has approved a request by Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health to purchase land in the Orangeville area for a new building there.
The move is only one step in ambitious plans by Public Health to build two new buildings this year. The other is set for Guelph.
Dr. Nicola Mercer, the Medical Officer of Health, told council on Feb. 24 it had given approval in principle in 2009 for the board to buy land. That approval is now needed because Public Health costs are the responsibility of the upper-tier municipalities.
She described the property to council in a closed session, but said later in an interview the location cannot be made public until the deal is completed.
Public Health is hoping to build a $17-million building in Guelph, starting work in August, and a $5-million building in Orangeville, starting work in July. She said it is important the projects get started soon because the Guelph lease runs out at the end of 2012, and the Orangeville lease expires in March 2013.
The payment is done according to population, with the following percentages set:
– Guelph, 46%;
– Dufferin, 21%; and
– Wellington, 33%.
The final costs could be lower if the provincial government helps with grants, but Mercer said she is not holding her breath. She said in 1998 the province gave boards of health nothing, then funded 50% of its operations in 1999, and increased that the following year to 75%.
But, Mercer said, there is nothing in the Health Promotion and Protection Act that states the province will fund capital projects such as new buildings. She noted Guelph has some concerns that $10-million, the city’s share of both buildings, might affect its ability to borrow. She noted Guelph has sought a meeting with the province to discuss the issue, but she was not invited to be part of that.
“We are not asking Guelph for $10-million [immediately],” she said.
As for how to pay for the buildings, Mercer said it is her belief the cheapest way is to buy the land and have Public Health do its own building. She said other options include leasing space, and also a build-and-lease agreement.
She said there are advantages to ownership, such as costs being reduced annually as the mortgage is paid off, and not having to pay a huge amount up front.
She added that by building both buildings at the same time, Public Health could save up to 8% of the total costs by using one project manager and also by buying such things as furniture for both places at once.
Mercer said she has toured numerous buildings in Guelph in order to find rental accommodations, but nothing was suitable because Public Health has unique requirements.
She said it treats such things as sexually transmitted diseases diagnoses for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), as well as needed special units and refrigeration to keep such things as vaccinations. She said there are over $20-million in vaccinations that will travel through the building – more than the cost of the building itself.
As well, Public Health provides dental suites, dentistry services for the working poor and poor children, and it needs a special room for tuberculosis patients and the work resulting from that disease.
She said Public Health buildings are built for specific purposes, and are “hard to retrofit. We looked – since 2007,” she said. “We looked extensively. We looked at many buildings in the city of Guelph.”
Mercer also noted that Public Health has other special requirements. She said inspectors will need parking, and many staff come and go, doing such services as water tests and checks for cleanliness of restaurants.
The building also needs a place accessible by public transportation since poor students get dental work done there, and working poor also need to visit the building.
Mercer said she planned to visit Dufferin County council in March, and will then visit Guelph. She needs the consent of two of the three councils in order to proceed.
When asked if she would bother going to Guelph if Dufferin gives her the majority she needs, Mercer said she would since it is only polite.
