Construction to begin in spring

St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church to continue housing shelter over winter

The new Brock Mission will be designed by Lett Architect of Peterborough, and once city councillor is expecting a new design to replace the one from a Toronto firm that would have exceeded the city’s construction budget by $3 million.

Coun. Lesley Parnell said she doesn’t think a redesign process will cause undue delays in construction.

“We can still do a spring groundbreaking — no problem,” she said in an interview Friday. “It’s all positive — we’re moving in the right direction.”

The Brock Mission is the men’s emergency shelter in the city. Its ramshackle building on Murray St. was torn down a year ago to make room for a new one, designed in 2014 by LGA Architectural Partners of Toronto.

But in early summer, city staff presented a new report to councillors stating that the cost to build the LGA design in 2018 had increased by $3.2 million to $10.7 million.

That was too much for council, which voted to return the design to city staff to pare back costs before construction would be allowed to start.

The idea was to bring the cost back to its original budget of $7 million and re-tender.

Parnell said now the city is having Lett, its architectural firm of record, work with city staff and with Peterborough Housing Corp. to keep costs within budget.

“This is basically being done in-house, now,” she said.

According to an internal memo obtained by The Examiner on Friday, Lett Architects is being paid $672,350 for the redesign, including taxes.

Councillors can expect to hear more details at their very first meeting, following inauguration.

City communications manager Brendan Wedley stated in an email Friday that an update with recommendations will be given to councillors at the inaugural meeting, Dec. 3.

Parnell said she expects the new design for the Brock to have the same features as the last one: 30 beds for homeless men, plus 15 small rental rooms (for men to occupy as they search for permanent housing).

Some local construction firms are already coming forward with donations, she also said.

One contractor has offered to donate the paint, she said, and another has offered to supply the project with all its low-voltage wiring and install it for free.

Other similar offers will be “happily accepted,” Parnell said.

Meanwhile she also said it’s been confirmed that the homeless men who are being temporarily housed in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church up the street will continue to stay there this winter.

Extra beds have been delivered there this week, she said.

St. Paul’s was put up for sale early this year because the sanctuary has structural issues that would cost $2 million to repair — too much for the congregation.

In August the building was purchased by a developer — Clear Global Capital — but plans for the building’s future were never publicly announced.

The homeless men are being housed in a large hall added to the building in 1959.

Although the Brock property and building on Murray St. will be municipally owned, the city has partnered with two other organizations to build the shelter: Peterborough Housing Corporation (a social housing provider) and Brock Mission (a Christian charity).

PHC’s role is to oversee construction and then maintain the new facility for the city, while Brock Mission will lease the building and provide programs.