The much-anticipated revitalization of the Bradford Community Centre in the downtown core may not come as soon as expected.
In Tuesday night's meeting of town council, Coun. Jonathan Scott raised an issue with a report received on the town's growth-related capital projects and cash flow forecast, asking why the community centre revitalization has been pushed back to 2027.
Chief Administrative Officer for the town, Geoff McKnight confirmed that the purpose of the report is to identify the plan's spending over the next couple of years to help manage debt.
"The principal purpose (of the report) is to identify the need to spread out some of our plans spending in the next couple of years to help manage the debt associated with those projects and to smooth out cash flow," he said, noting the community centre is a big-ticket item, including a theatre, gathering spaces, and recreational amenities for residents.
VG Architects were hired in 2017, to look at future uses of the Bradford Community Centre, the adjacent Bradford Curling Club, and the 18 acres of surrounding parkland and playing fields.
In August 2018, after months of public consultation and input, which identified a long list of "desired" amenities, council adopted a "preferred concept" for the site.
The plan proposed the construction of a new Administration centre and multipurpose building that would house community services, a performing arts centre, a County of Simcoe affordable housing project, underground parking, sheltered space for a farmers' market, and both active and passive recreational uses.
The master plan also proposed the retention of the old Bradford Community Centre but offered no suggestions for its renovation or future use.
The total cost for the project includes $15-$30 million for the community centre rehabilitation/replacement, $40 million for the town hall and performing arts centre, $5 million for the farmers' market/plaza, $8 million for parklands, skatepark and tennis courts and $60 million for the affordable housing going on the south-west quadrant of the property (paid for by the county).
McKnight called it a broad and expensive project that is greatly needed in the community, but a big one for the town to tackle.
It was something time-wise that wasn't as critical, he said and doesn't have the benefit of being funded from development charge (DC) revenues.
"For a combination of reasons, we pushed it down a few years," he said, noting the timing could change pending on grants and budgeting.
Council has set up a dedicated reserve to create a funding envelope for the project, with the first instalment occurring in 2019. It was suspended in 2020-2021 for the pandemic.
The scope and scale of the project are significant he said.
"We had built in a lot of amenities into that project that was going to look after a number of different needs," he said.
The town had applied for a grant of $50 million in 2019 from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to help fund the project which was unsuccessful.
With the Community Hub being built at the old Bradford Public School, and some of the amenities for the community centre overlapping, the project can be scaled down to help save on costs.
"I think we need to be less ambitious and reduce the scope of that project to bring a more honest design to council later this fall or new year, so that would reduce the price tag of the project," he said.
By increasing the funding envelope and decreasing the price of the project, and possibly obtaining more grants, McKnight hopes the project can move forward faster.
Right now there is limited information, he said, advising not to get too caught up in the timelines.
Coun. Scott summarized the response noting that the key message is not to delay the project by six years but to smooth over financial modelling.
Scott has been an advocate of the project since joining council almost one year ago, calling it a "game-changer" for his ward and the revitalization of the downtown core.
"As we refine the vision this fall, hopefully, we can get it to a place that's shovel ready and we can get a grant," he said. "I don't think anyone wants to see that project delayed, we just need a funding partner."
