John Sleeth Centre: Renovation or demolition?
In Sutton’s August 2020 bulletin, the John Sleeth Centre came under scrutiny and the question was raised: should a new building be built to better suit the needs of Sutton residents or should the town do its best to keep and renovate the old building? It is a complex issue.
John Sleeth, the building’s name sake, was mayor of Sutton from 1989 to 1996. The building has had quite a varied lifetime of use since it was constructed between 1885 and 1886. In 1922 an extension was added that doubled the capacity of the building, including three new rooms, a library and a refectory. It took on various schoolhouse roles for nearly 100 years, until 1986, according to the bulletin. The building now houses the Sutton Library, Le Spot Youth Centre, the Volunteer Centre, the Sutton Arts Gallery and the Sutton kindergarten. Clearly, it is a significant central point in the village.
With the substantial amount of people going in and out of the building, it was important to make sure that, despite its age, the building was still in good shape.
In late 2019, the town of Sutton had the building inspected. It was not an optimist picture. The report ascertained that there was a deterioration in the state of the structure and that it would require major work to bring it up to code. For example, the entire main staircase needs to be redesigned, all the windows replaced, and the ventilation redone. These are but a few issues on the list. The bulletin adds that the building is still safe to use, but it has a limited lifespan.
Mayor of Sutton Michel Lafrance and Director General Pierre Largy discussed both sides of the debate.
Director General Largy explained that before the pandemic slowed everything down, plans were underway to consult with the community about the tough decision.
“We wanted to start last winter with a large consultation program and the review of key sites downtown.” He listed the John Sleeth Centre, the Filtex site and the museum site.
“They all present challenges for the next few years,” he continued, “John Sleeth is an aging building, there are pros and cons for keeping it.”
The Mayor further explained the intended consultation plans for the building.
Before COVID hit, there was an open call to citizens, he explained, to join a consultation steering committee to review the response to the issue. It would have been made of 10 or 12 interested citizens as well as several consultants and civil servants.
“People could take in the information and then we would have public meetings,” he added.
Several factors put a wrench in those plans.
“When we tried to start up that steering committee, with COVID there were many technical problems, so it became very difficult to get that committee going.”
The cultural coordinator in the urban planning department also fell ill, Mayor Lafrance explained, which caused the plans to slow down doubly.
He explained that they are in the process of getting that project going again.
In the meantime, he said, “We’re putting out general information and following the situation.”
Largy was able to provide an estimate of how much it would cost to renovate the building.
“We hesitate to put a figure on it,” he said, “but preliminary estimates were around $2 million plus to bring it up to par”.
That number, he pointed out, is not taking into account the future needs of the organizations that work out of the building.
“It’s an old construction with many limits,” he added, “and it’s not considered high heritage value”. Patri-arch places it at medium value historically.
Mayor Lafrance brought up another historical building in Sutton, an old bed and breakfast into which $30,000 was recently invested.
In comparison, he explained, during two different council meetings where it was discussed, there did not seem to be as much interest in maintaining the John Sleeth building as it is.
If the town and citizens agree to take it down and rebuild, there would
be value in creating “something completely new but that is influenced by the heritage on that site.”
The Mayor added that perhaps maintaining the architectural principles of the building would be the way to go.
“There is a way of recalling our past all the same.”
There is still a decision to be made for the fate of the John Sleeth Centre and both the mayor and director general seem committed to making the decision that best reflects the wants of Sutton citizens.