The Town of Kingsville is launching a facilities review of all town-owned buildings. Council identified a Facility Review as a top 2023 priority.
The facilities review will include analysis of each facility’s general physical condition, anticipated future costs of maintenance and repairs, as well as evaluate current and future uses. This will include consultation with user groups and the opportunity for residents to provide input.
“Creating a long-term vision for our community is a focus for this Council,” said Mayor Dennis Rogers. “Before we can look forward to purchasing surplus school properties and consider investing in their future uses, we must understand our financial obligation to maintain our current buildings. Everything is on the table with this review. We may have to downsize some underutilized properties in order to be in a position to upsize investment in other facilities.”
The Town has hired Terry Fink to lead this review as the Coordinator of Special Projects. This is a temporary position. Terry has held numerous positions, including Manager of Atlas Tube Centre and Marina for the Town of Lakeshore and Director of Culture and Recreation for the Town of LaSalle.
He has been a consultant with the Province of Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation, where he developed feasibility studies for culture, recreation and sports facilities and partnered with municipalities to conduct operational reviews of facilities.
“Some of our buildings are aged and will need significant investment in the coming years,” said Kingsville’s Chief Administrative Officer, John Norton. “We need to know how Council wants to proceed with investment in these buildings and intended uses. Our Town Office is also too small with some staff being required to work in makeshift work spaces.”
Public engagement will commence shortly, with input sought from user groups, council, administration and the community at large. The Town will announce public engagement opportunities on its website and social media accounts.
Photo by Mike Gosselin