City Hall moves closer to opening
New estimate to complete the city hall-library building is $22.8 million – city needs to find another $400,000 to cover the latest increase
Municipal workers will begin moving into West Kelowna’s new city hall by late March but the public won’t be let inside until May or June.
Construction of the long-delayed and over-budget building is now said to be 95 per cent complete, allowing for the preparation of a staff move-in, but considerable fine-tuning of equipment and systems must still be done.
“Everything from the front counter to information technology and service desk and operating council chambers will need to become functional on all floors to serve building tenants and the public,” reads part of a report from acting city manager Ron Mattiussi.
It’s currently expected the first council meeting will be held in the city hall in May, with an official opening celebration and public tours of the building in either May or June.
Meanwhile, costs continue to rise beyond budget for the city hall.
In 2021, the project was envisioned to cost $18 million. By November 2023, the cost had risen to $22.4 million.
Reasons variously advanced in the past for the delay have included supply chain issues, highway closures, extreme weather, wildfires, and volatile construction and labour costs. There have also been lawsuits filed in connection with the project.
The latest cost estimate is $22.8 million, representing a current funding deficiency of $400,000, Mattiussi says.
Council will have to decide how to cover the deficiency, with the leading options being dipping into the city’s operating surplus or using money from a provincial grant given to municipalities last year, known as the Growing Communities Fund.
It’s possible the city hall opening could be delayed even further than currently anticipated, depending on the testing of various systems, completion of necessary work by Telus and Shaw/Rogers, and installation of millwork.
“The city team is also working hard to negotiate the best possible outcome for the project to reduce cost escalation,” Mattiussi says.