Something’s in the air at city hall, but what?

Victoria seeks proposals to assess building; council pursues ‘barrier-free’ meeting place

That the air sometimes gets a bit thick at city hall is nothing new, but now Victoria wants to know if it’s making some people sick.

The city has issued a request for proposals for a contractor for an air-quality assessment in the building.

The call comes in response to a council direction to find a barrierfree meeting place in city hall, said city spokesman Bill Eisenhauer.

“So this will give staff info and data to determine what, if anything, is in the air in terms of allergens,” Eisenhauer said, adding that accessibility does not mean eliminating only physical barriers.

Coun. Jeremy Loveday said the accessibility working group is not currently able to meet at city hall because of the air quality.

“We don’t have any spaces that are barrier-free for all of our committee members,” said Loveday, council’s liaison to the group.

In the past, some of the group’s members have participated in meetings via Skype or used meeting rooms in activity centres or at the arena.

“We’ve been struggling to find a location that is barrier free for everyone,” Loveday said. He, personally, is not troubled by the air quality at city hall, he said.

Mayor Lisa Helps said there are a number of people who are reportedly unable attend city hall because of the poor air quality.

“So maybe people with certain sensitivities find the air quality to be a problem in city hall, so staff have initiated this body of work in response to the accessibility working group’s request,” she said.

Helps said the project has been in the works for some time. “It’s been in the hopper, I guess, for a couple of years to respond to some of the concerns of the accessibility working group.”

The assessment, which is to include air and dust sampling, inspection of the HVAC system, and 12 stand-alone ventilation systems, is to determine baseline levels of allergenic airborne particles including fungal spores, indoor allergens and volatile organic compounds.

Surface sampling is to be undertaken for visible mould and bulk dust sampling for allergens.

“Contractor will be required to submit a final report indicating allergens assessed, with reference to recognized acceptable exposure limits, and include recommendations based on findings,” the RFP says.

Designed by local architect John Teague, Victoria City Hall, in use since 1878, is the oldest surviving municipal hall in western Canada, and is among the oldest in western North America.

Teague won a design competition held in 1875 for a new city hall, but his original design never materialized due to financial difficulties, according to the federal heritage registry.

Instead, his design was simplified and built in stages, starting with the construction of the south wing in 1878. It was completed by 1891.

The two-storey annex was built in the 1960s as part of the Centennial Square development.