Sylvan Lake’s quest to build a new town hall is back on track.
Council agreed last week to tender a new civic administration building to replace its current cramped quarters.
A decision had been put on hold temporarily because councillors wanted more information on how the project would be financed.
One issue that had to be sorted out was what council wanted to do with the current town hall.
Mayor Susan Samson said on Monday that council voted to sell the building at fair market value in keeping with a policy on how to dispose of municipal assets.
Council agreed that for things that have value, like the town hall for example, they would be appraised and advertised for sale at fair market value.
“Of course, we’re not in a position to sell it yet because we are a couple of years away before we move into a new civic centre.”
An early estimate has pegged the cost of a new town hall at $7.8 million.
The town has socked away $4.3 million in a reserve and hopes to tap $610,000 in provincial grants.
Another $2 million would be directed to the project from the franchise fees paid by electricity and natural gas providers to the town.
A working estimate of $800,000 from the sale of the town hall is included in the budget, but an appraisal has not been done yet to finalize that figure.
Council discussed the prospect of selling the building at a cut-rate price to non-profit groups. Both a local seniors association and Community Partners, which provides various forms of social programs in town, have expressed interest in the building.
Samson said council decided it must sell town assets, which were paid for with tax dollars, at the going rate. If council wants to provide financial support to local organizations it should be done through grants.
“That would be a one-time grant they would use to offset the price of the building. Based on the policy we put forward that would be the only way that would work.”
That is a decision that would have to be made as the project moves forward.
“We’re not there yet. Quite frankly, we don’t have a true price on the building,” she said. For tax purposes, the building has been assessed at $1.3 million, but would sell for less.
The new town administration building is expected to be built on the site of the RCMP detachment, which is weeks away from moving into a new headquarters.
Council has already approved the design and floor plan of the town hall.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com