City help sought for Meredith Place demolition

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This article was published 16/10/2023 (818 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At this evening’s Brandon city council meeting, YWCA Westman will ask for help re-restablishing a transitional housing facility.

The organization closed its Meredith Place facility on May 1, 2022, after an assessment determined that repairs for structural issues were not feasible.

Even though the facility has not provided services to women and gender-diverse people since then, YWCA executive director Lois Ruston told the Sun in June that maintaining Meredith Place continues to use up the organization’s resources.

She also said at the time that the plan was to have the existing building demolished, with some key elements to be saved and incorporated into a new facility serving the same purpose.

The agenda for Monday’s council meeting states Ruston will ask council to assist in that process by waiving tipping fees on materials taken to the Eastview Landfill after demolition, and by waiving sewer and water deposits connected to the decommissioning.

A brief timeline attached to Ruston’s presentation states that the intention is to have the original Meredith Place building demolished by Dec. 2023, complete design work on the new facility by fall 2024 and build between 2024 and 2026.

Councillors will also hold a vote on whether to accept a bid worth $1,006,749.60 from Overland Custom Coach for four new paratransit buses for Brandon Access Transit.

In preparing for the procurement process, an agenda document states, the city’s fleet services department reached out to other municipalities to learn what kind of zero emission vehicles would be available.

“The bid opportunity was prepared including gasoline engines with consideration for hybrid and propane engines as options,” The document states. “The only bid received was a gasoline engine and did not include any optional powertrain options.”

Because the purchase price is higher than the $734,000 amount in this year’s city budget, administration’s proposed motion would see the city make up the difference by withdrawing $136,373.80 from both the transit equipment replacement reserve and the transit gas tax reserve.

While enough funds are present in both reserves, the document states the equipment reserve will be in a deficit position by 2026 and the transit gas tax reserve in deficit by 2025.

The lead time on receiving the new vehicles is estimated to be between eight and 14 months.

Though a motion on the City of Brandon acknowledging the residential school system as a form of genocide was scheduled to come back up on Monday for discussion after being deferred at a previous meeting, city clerk Renee Sigurdson told the Sun on Friday it will likely be deferred again as several councillors are expected to be absent from Monday’s meeting.

Second and third readings will be held on a bylaw that would see parts of College Avenue East, Rideau Street, Franklin Street, Percy Street and Park Avenue East be closed. First reading will be held on an amendment to the Assiniboine Gardens secondary plan and for the closure of part of a public lane on Victoria Avenue.

Council will also hear presentations from Don Partrick of the Rotary Club of Brandon about World Polio Day and from the police board, audit and finance committee and the poverty committee.

Meetings start at 7 p.m. in council chambers on the second floor of Brandon City Hall at 410 Ninth Street. They can also be viewed live on WCGtv and on the city’s YouTube channel.

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