The former YMCA building on Fairford Street will likely be demolished, after city council failed to pass a motion to seek input from developers or private groups about repurposing the building.
Council dealt with five motions related to handling the building during its Aug. 26 regular meeting. Coun. Chris Warren was absent, which proved to be the deciding factor during two votes.
Council unanimously approved motions to: terminate the lease agreement between the municipality and the YMCA of Moose Jaw effective July 15, deactivate water and natural gas services until the building is sold, and carry property insurance on the building until the building is sold.
However, council voted 3-3 on a motion to issue requests for proposal (RFPs) in October for the sale and development of the Natatorium and the YMCA building, with the understanding that the Natatorium should maintain its heritage status and the municipality should have continued access to the outdoor pool through the building. A related motion would have had the RFP indicate the City of Moose Jaw would not provide funding for any proposed development.
Mayor Fraser Tolmie and councillors Crystal Froese and Scott McMann voted in favour of the motion, while councillors Brian Swanson, Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning were opposed. The motion was defeated since it ended in a tie.
A tie vote likely means the former YMCA building will face the wrecking ball, Craig Hemingway, communications manager, told the Moose Jaw Express afterward. While the building could be saved if someone presented a viable plan, council would still have to approve that plan.
The parks and recreation department will allot some money in the 2020 budget for demolition costs, he added. The Natatorium — a heritage building — will continue to function as a space that holds the equipment for the adjacent outdoor pool.
Visit www.moosejaw.ca to read a report from the parks department to council about what demolishing the YMCA building would entail.
Council discussion
A report produced in 2015 indicated it would cost potentially $6 million to bring the Natatorium up to code before it could be refurbished, said Eby. While she favoured sending out the RFP for both buildings, she was not “super hopeful” council would receive a palatable proposal.
Deciding what to do with those structures is not an easy decision, agreed Tolmie. He thought that report actually indicated it would cost $16 million to $21 million to refurbish the Natatorium, which would be “a huge hit to the citizens of Moose Jaw.”
Tolmie had hoped the RFP would interest a developer to handle the YMCA building, instead of those demolish costs falling on taxpayers.
Swanson could not support issuing an RFP and thought the YMCA building should be demolished. He thought the building had too many design flaws, needed too many upgrades, had insufficient parking and was poorly designed. He did favour keeping the Natatorium since it is still used and has a new roof.
Froese also thought the RFP was appropriate, since it offered a developer the opportunity to do something with the building. However, municipality would have to do more work on it the longer it sits there.
Disappointment in outcome
After the motion to issue the RFP was defeated in a tie vote, city manager Jim Puffalt explained money is required in the 2020 budget for demolition costs. A risk management study also needs to be completed to ensure the municipality is not liable for the building.
Demolition would likely start in early 2020.
“I’m disappointed with vote on this. But I could understand if council was to say they wanted to demolish that (building),” said Tolmie. “Then I would have hoped there would be an amendment to demolish it, not throw the whole motion out.”
Taxpayers are now responsible for continued maintenance of the Natatorium, which will likely remain as it is for much longer, he said, adding voting down the RFP eliminated any opportunity to develop a solution.
The fate of the Natatorium has been “hanging on a hook” since 1995, said Swanson. It’s as if the building has been in suspended animation waiting for something to happen. At least the building is secure and maintained.
“I don’t think this motion to abandon the motion somehow seals a terrible fate for the Natatorium,” he added. “It will continue to sit there. It has been (more than) 20 years (already).”
Background
The future of the YMCA in Moose Jaw has been a public issue the last few months, explained Puffalt earlier in the meeting. Parks director Derek Blais and his team have done much work to determine if the municipality has any use for the building.
More than $3 million is needed to have the building meet standards, Puffalt continued. City administration would upgrade the building if it had the money, but the cost is too high and there is no need for it. Instead, administration thought an RFP should be issued instead.
There are eight rooms in the building, which is 3,450.78 square metres (38,342 square feet) in size, according to a parks department report. Most of the YMCA’s assets have been removed, while municipal staff conduct daily checks to ensure all systems are functioning properly and there is no unauthorized entry. All the utilities and air conditioning units have been shut down.
