“You’re safe in the building, but there are some deficiencies that need to be addressed.” That sentence from Kari Lambe, the Town’s Director of Community Services, summed up the results of a Town Hall structural assessment for councillors.
Lambe presented the report’s findings at the October General Committee meeting, where she recommended establishing a working group in 2019 to look at all of the needs of the aging, historic building.
Huntsville’s Town Hall is a designated heritage building. It was constructed in 1926, and officially opened on July 1, 1927 although the public had been allowed a sneak peek on the previous December 31. The building’s clock tower includes the master clock from the old Union Station in Toronto, which was being torn down at the time, and was purchased by Charles Paget as a gift to the town.
Duke Engineering provided a structural analysis of the building that noted the “Town Hall building is generally in good condition for the age of the structure,” but specified some deficiencies. Among them were:
- Little or no insulation in the exterior walls of the building. Improving the insulation would increase the longevity of HVAC equipment as unit operating levels would decrease.
- Lack of insulation in the roof resulting in loss of heat, which if improved would lead to snow buildup on the roof. Whether the roof could accommodate the increased load is unknown.
- Signs of leakage and structural distress in the foundation walls on the south side of basement caused by poor exterior drainage. Although not of imminent concern, if not repaired it will eventually lead to collapse of the rear foundation wall.
- A state of disrepair in the front stairs.
The Duke Engineering report also addressed possible expansion of Council Chambers and suggested that moving to the space currently occupied by Club 55 would be the most cost-effective option to address space constraints and accessibility concerns and would also “return the main entrance of the Town Hall to the Main Street of Huntsville.”
In her report to Committee, Lambe noted that some capital work is already planned for the years between 2020 and 2025, including replacement of five furnace units in 2020 at an estimated cost of $165,000, roof replacement in 2022 at a cost of $172,500, and replacement of seven HVAC units in 2025 at a cost of $50,000. During each of these projects, “the administrative offices and the Algonquin Theatre (including Club 55) would not be operational as there will be no air circulation in building.”
There are also items not included in the capital budget that need to be addressed, including deteriorating brick in Civic Square, heaving and crumbling sidewalks around Town Hall, and interior carpet, painting, and tiling.
Committee agreed that a working group be established to review the needs of Town Hall in its entirety and report back to committee with recommendations.
See a full copy of the engineer’s report here (PDF).
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Bill Beatty says
The sidewalk and steps from the rear parking lot along the building to Main St has been in need of repair for over 15 years !!!!!!!!!!! A railing would be nice for the winter months !
Rob Millman says
Heating cables should be sufficient to address the increased snow load. Moving Council Chambers, however, would be problematic. I suppose that Club 55 could move to the existing Council Chambers, which are fully accessible; and the new Council Chambers would be fully accessible through the Algonquin Theatre entrance. But the idea of accessing Town Hall from a totally inaccessible front entrance is ludicrous! The existing stairs aren’t even to code; there is no room for a ramp; and even the Club 55 entrance requires one to negotiate 3 stairs down.
joanne watson says
To whom it may concern.
When doing updates on the town clock, maybe have them fix the 4 o’clock spot. The Roman Numeral for 4 is IV, not IIII.
Thanks
Jason bell says
maybe fix the horrible streets first….so we dont break our vehicles on the was to see the town hall
Dianne Stewart says
The town should not alter this wonderful piece of Canadian history and I’m sure they wouldn’t to make the numeral change suggested by Joanne. The use of IIII on the town hall clock is not ‘an error’. Historically, most clock and watch faces/dials were crafted using IIII for the number four (not IV). And many of today’s watch and clock makers e.g., Cartier, Rolex continue in that tradition.
There are plenty of theories for the use of IIII not IV – interesting reading at these two sites:
https://www.electrictime.com/news/roman-iiii-vs-iv-on-clock-dials/
https://monochrome-watches.com/why-do-clocks-and-watches-use-roman-numeral-iiii-instead-of-iv/