Staff update.
I would like to provide you with an update on the Farmers’ Market renovation and temporary relocation project. The driving force behind this project is to ensure business continuity for the market, shoppers and for its vendors. This project is an opportunity for the City to improve safety, accessibility, cleanliness – all required to ensure the operation of an important landmark in downtown Guelph.
This renovation to the Farmers’ Market is a necessary investment in 2013. As you may already know, Public Health and the Guelph Fire Department advised the City to renovate the Farmers’ Market facility to ensure the health and safety of vendors and customers.
In response, City Staff developed a plan to address the condition of the building and minimize disruptions to market vendors, customers and as best we can, the community at large.
Last year, City Council approved a $2.2 million budget in the 2013 life cycle capital for Corporate Building Maintenance and $170,000 was earmarked for the Farmers’ Market renovation project.
Rather than causing several separate disruptions to the operation of the Farmers Market in the years ahead, staff refined our corporate building maintenance plans by aggregating existing funding and deferring lower priority projects to make funding available to complete the necessary floor coating and much needed improvements to accessibility and operations.
A $500,000 investment in the Farmers’ Market facility will ensure the facility is clean, safe, operational and accessible for all users. Funding of the Farmers’ Market renovation and relocation project includes:·$30,000 surplus from the 2012 Farmers’ Market life cycle work.
·$170,000 budgeted in 2013 for the Farmers’ Market life cycle work.
·$50,000 from the accessibility capital budget.
·$340,000 from the West End Community Centre dehumidification project.
With regard to long term planning, the Downtown Secondary Plan (currently still under appeal) does anticipate a Farmers’ Market Expansion and/or Relocation Strategy. There are
many necessary planning steps required to move forward on
this strategy and it will need to be considered as part of our
10 Year long-term capital budget. Staff