City buildings need $216 million in repairs

Roofs, boilers, foundations, plumbing in poor shape and will need a pricey fix, panel told

THE CITY SAYS ABOUT a third of its sports, community and public works buildings are in “poor or critical” shape — including 135 facilities overdue for roof replacement.

There is an estimated $216 million repairs backlog for 455 buildings managed by the city’s facilities department — particularly community and senior centres, work yards, sports clubhouses and entertainment facilities.

That hefty repair bill, reported to a city budget committee Friday, excludes public facilities like seniors’ lodges, police stations, social housing and heritage buildings, which are managed by other departments.

A condition index label of “critical” does not mean a building is unusable, unsafe or about to fall down, said facilities head Rom D’Angelo. Typically, it means one or more important building components — like the roof, boiler, foundation or plumbing — need a pricey fix.

“It’s meant to draw attention to buildings that need major work before the building deteriorates any further beyond functionality,” he said.

While buildings are not toppling, the repair budget is looking rickety.

THE NUMBER of poor or critical buildings will jump from 152 to 260 in a decade if the city continues to spend an “unsustainable” $10 million a year on capital repairs.

The current repair backlog also doesn’t include another $157 million in anticipated costs over the next 10 years to improve accessibility in public buildings based on stricter provincial legislation.

Some of the buildings on the facilities “critical” list would be familiar to residents — like the dilapidated, oft-criticized Chedoke golf clubhouse. Ditto for the mouldy, inaccessible Normanhurst Community Centre, which the city closed and declared surplus rather than try to tackle immediately necessary repairs worth more than $216,000.

But the city is also behind on roof replacements for 135 different buildings, ranging from tiny park washrooms to the barnlike public works building at 330 Wentworth St. N.

Not all of the identified problems actually need to be fixed, however.

The city acquires some of the problems when it buys old

schools, for example. In some cases, those buildings will be sold, repurposed or torn down, so repairs are not a priority.

Councillors asked for both a map of the worst buildings as well as an update on potential sales, redevelopment or consolidation of older facilities.

Coun. Chad Collins pointed out one of the most dilapidated buildings, a fire fleet facility on Bay Street North, has been eyed for “repurposing” for more than a decade.

“It’s sitting right in an area (beside Central Park) that is the focus for redevelopment and renewal for the city,” he said after the meeting. “It would seem like it has more value for us in terms of redevelopment.”

Council quietly discussed the potential to sell off or privatize older community halls during closed-door budget meetings last year. So far, the results of those discussions have not gone public.

Some city buildings earned “good” condition index marks, like the new $145-million Tim Hortons Field as well as the city’s transit facilities. The city’s underground parking garage and all three major downtown entertainment facilities range from fair-to-poor on the index.