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Ramara residents are almost equally divided on the fate of two aged municipal buildings on Highway 12 in Brechin. About half of residents want to see the buildings renovated, while the other half think they should be demolished.
Financially impacting the decision, the Ministry of Transportation requires them to be set back from the highway.
During its Committee of the Whole meeting last week, council discussed a recently completed staff report that outlines the costs of demolition and the feasibility of salvaging any significant heritage pieces from the two buildings.
Council will consider the items recommended by the committee at the Aug. 10 regular council meeting.
Recommendations include referring the cost of demolition to the 2027 budget process and for staff to proceed with a request for information (RFI) process and report back to council with the results.
The buildings were both built in the early 1900s. One was St. Andrew’s Hall, the other known as the Standard Bank. Both buildings were purchased by the township in 2023 as part of a vision to revitalize downtown Brechin.
The updated cost for demolition includes a designated substance survey (DSS), which identifies hazardous materials, such as asbestos, that require special attention from contractors and may include additional costs.
The DSS found asbestos-containing materials, lead-containing coatings, mercury-containing lamps, presumed PCB-containing electrical components and mould-affected materials.
Priestly Demolition Inc. provided the township with an estimate of $225,492.15 plus HST.
This estimate includes: demolition of both buildings; removal of the confirmed and quantified asbestos-containing materials identified in the DSS; engineering required to safely complete the demolition; and backfilling of the excavated foundations.
“Staff are recommending that demolition be considered through the 2027 budget process while proceeding with an RFI to gauge interest and identify future opportunities for the properties,” said Melissa Gowanlock, the township’s manager of communications and community experience.
Coun. Joe Gough asked if demolition includes removing the septic beds and any related infrastructure.
Laura Pye, general manager of development and infrastructure, could not confirm the scope, but said “it would be part of what we would consider at the time.”
Coun. Sherri Bell, referring to how much the township has expended on the buildings already, asked: “Why wouldn’t we just sell them where and as is and take that loss, versus add another half a million dollars to the losses?”
Mayor Basil Clarke asked for her recommendation.
“Sell and let somebody else who buys it worry about taking the buildings down and doing all those other things,” she said.
The RFI process does not stop the township from selling the buildings, explained Gowanlock. “It is a request for interest.”
Council requested the staff report at the March 9 meeting to better understand current related costs of demolition and feasibility of preserving anything historically significant.
“Should council determine that demolition is the preferred future direction, staff would incorporate requirements within the procurement documents for the successful contractor to work with the township to identify and preserve architectural features, where feasible,” states the report.
Neither building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, however, township staff recognized that residents value their historical significance.
Added to the report is that “longer-term commemoration opportunities would be dependent on council’s future direction for the properties.”
If demolition funding is approved by next year’s council, it would proceed through a competitive procurement process in accordance with the township’s procurement bylaw, with final costs established through the tender process.
This direction will be determined at the Aug. 10 council meeting.
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