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The Municipality of West Perth oversees a wide range of projects every year. Look through the projects below to learn more about our current initiatives.
When the opportunity arises please provide your feedback. Your opinion matters and helps shape the outcome of this important work.
The Municipality of West Perth has been approved for a grant from Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to support improvements to Keterson Park in Mitchell. The Municipality was made aware of the approval for the grant from ICIP on July 7, 2021. View the full media release on the grant approval here.
View the Government of Ontario's News Release here.
View the Government of Ontario's Backgrounder with a list of projects receiving funds here.
The project involves the construction of a new multi-use pavilion and an accessible path for Keterson Park in Mitchell. These improvements were identified through the Keterson Park Master Plan which was prepared with input from user groups and adopted by West Perth Council in June of 2019. The full Keterson Park Master Plan can be accessed here.
Multi-Use Pavilion
A new multi-use pavilion has replaced the existing pavilion and barns. The preliminary design is for a 140ft by 80ft pavilion with a covered viewing area and sight lines to the playground as well as all four existing ball diamonds. The proposed pavilion will also include a new kitchen and bar area, new washroom facilities, basketball nets, and storage space, as well as removable walls and drainage capabilities for use during the annual fall fair and other events. It is anticipated that the new pavilion will be used for a variety of drop-in recreational activities, tournaments and miscellaneous special events.
Accessible Pathway
A new multi-use accessible stone dust path will be constructed around the ball diamonds and out to the parking lot. Next Steps
The Official Opening is coming in June 2023! We hope you will join us for this festive and exciting event.
Conceptual Drawings and Map
Veterans Park
The Parkette at the corner of Wellington Street and Rowland Street, across from West Perth Arena and Community Centre now hosts the new Tennis Courts, with remaining frontage for a parkette. The new parkette, titled Veterans Park, will have a small walking path, trees and pollinator friendly gardens, as well as up to 5 raised beds for community gardening.
We are excited to announce this project will break ground in Spring 2022! Stay tuned for the ground breaking ceremony.
West Perth Municipal Office Project
The Municipality of West Perth has built a new Municipal Office. Construction began on September 20, 2021 and the first day of service in the new building was September 14, 2022.
The new Municipal Office faces Wellington Street and is directly south of the West Perth Fire Station constructed in 2020. The visitor parking lot off Wellington St. hosts 17 parking spaces in the front of the building, and the staff & public parking lot off St. David Street hosts 48 parking spaces. The covered veranda on the north side of the building facing the Fire Station allows for movement of visitors from the back parking lot to the front entrance. The building is light grey stone veneer with dark trim and a metal roof. This building is 14,000 sq ft on one level with no stairs or ramps, making it fully accessible.
The new Municipal Office holds Council Chambers which can be used for other events and meeting space, a Community Room used for community programming and family events, and a small Meeting Room for rent. The lobby provides access to Council Chambers, Community Room, washrooms, and service counters. The office portion of the building provides space for the Treasury, Clerks, Building and CAO departments.
The Municipality had been planning for renovation of the existing office or construction of a new office for many years and Council made a decision in December of 2020 to proceed with the new build option. The Municipality of West Perth consulted the public through open houses and surveys, secured a grant to cover a portion of the cost, and in July 2021, the Municipality closed the tender for construction. Council accepted the low bid for the project and a contract with Domm Construction Ltd. was signed. View the Municipal Office Tender Award - Report to Council dated July 19, 2021 for full information on the tender results. Domm Construction Ltd. also built the West Perth Fire Station and the Municipality is pleased to be working with them on this project.
What is the history of the Old Municipal Office (169 St. David St)
169 St. David Street building was constructed in 1924 and served as the Mitchell High School until 1957. The Town of Mitchell renovated the building and started to use it as Administration Offices in 1960. Renovations were made in 1998 in preparation for the building to be used as the West Perth Administration Office. The building has also housed police offices and West Perth Power offices in the past.
Is the old building a designated heritage building?
The current building was purpose-built for a high school in 1924. The building is not designated as a historical building. The original building included an architectural feature known as a parapet. The parapet is a short wall at the roof-line and it was covered with brick. In 2002 the parapet wall was identified as needing significant repairs and after reviewing options, a decision was made to cover the parapet with steel.
Was that building updated over the years?
The building was renovated after the high school moved out in 1957 after it was condemned for further school use, and before the Town of Mitchell began using it as administration offices in 1959 or 1960. A major renovation was completed in 1983. This renovation included updating the boilers and the addition of an elevator. The boilers have not been updated since this renovation almost 40 years ago.
A further renovation was completed in 1998 to prepare the building to be the Administration Offices for the newly amalgamated West Perth.
What is known about this building's current condition?
A building condition assessment report was completed on the administration office and fire hall in 2012. The report for the administration office identified significant condition issues with building systems, air handling and accessibility. For example, the boilers and HVAC systems are the equipment installed in the 1983 renovation (39 years old).
A process to re-visit the 2012 Administration Office and Fire Hall Condition Assessment review was initiated in 2017. Building condition assessment reports were completed in 2018 covering electrical, mechanical and structural elements of the building.
The condition assessment reports identify several major building systems as being well past their design life.
Why is accessibility a concern? What are the risks?
The building is non-compliant with basic accessibility standards as required by legislation. Under Provincial legislation, all public buildings are to be compliant with current accessibility standards by 2025.
Municipalities are expected to be leaders in promoting progressive policy in areas such as accessibility. The Province has not indicated what the consequences of non-compliance with accessibility standards by the 2025 deadline would be. Potential consequences for non-compliance could include limiting or withholding grant eligibility until compliance is achieved.
Has an accessibility assessment been completed?
Wilson Dias Architects completed an Accessibility Assessment and delivered their report in 2018. The report identifies limitations with the current building, actions needed to make the building accessible and cost estimates. To bring the building to current accessibility standards would require significant work both inside and outside the building including reconfiguring the internal layout, relocating the elevator and reconstruction of the external ramps. The estimated cost for internal updates and renovations to bring the building up to current accessibility standards is $930,000. An additional $230,000 of external updates would be required.
Has any assessment been done to determine the amount and configuration of space needed for the new office?
The 2012 Building Condition Assessment process culminated in a recommendation that West Perth build a new 14,005sq ft Municipal Office.
Wilson Dias Architects completed an analysis of the functional space needs for the Municipal Office as part of their work 2018 project. Wilson Dias estimated the space required for the Municipal Office as being 11,000 to 12,000 ft2. This assessment made assumptions that need to be revisited particularly related to the size of Council Chambers, space needed for secure file storage and general storage, flexibility for modest growth and the option for community programming space to be included in the project.
When considering the design and space requirements of the Municipal Office today, it is important to consider the short, medium term and long-term needs of the Municipality and design features to incorporate lessons learned from operating administration offices during a global pandemic.
How much would it cost to renovate the old building?
The 2018 Wilson Diaz Architects project looked at various options for the West Perth fire hall and municipal office. A detailed cost estimate was prepared for an option involving renovation of the current administration office and constructing a new stand-alone fire hall. The cost estimate for this option was set at $6,785,163 with the administration office renovation portion being $4,360,000 for 12,000 ft2.
In December of 2020, an estimate for a new build option was calculated using information from the completed fire hall project and industry building estimates as supplied by Dawley Engineering. The estimated “all in” project price for a 14,000 ft2 Municipal Office was $3,430,000.
Has information about the condition of the building been presented to Council and the Public in the past?
The results of the 2012 Building Condition Assessments were presented to the public on January 29, 2013. That presentation included a recommendation that the Municipality proceed to design a new 14,005 ft2 Municipal Office.
The 2018 Wilson Diaz Architects reports were presented to Council on April 16, 2018. Council directed that a public consultation take place. A public meeting was held on June 19, 2018.
This process led to the decision by Council to move forward with the fire hall replacement project as a first priority. The decision included acknowledgement that a decision on the administration office would need to be made in the near future.
What has been done since 2018?
Detailed design work for a new West Perth Fire Hall was completed and a public tender for the construction of a stand-alone fire hall was issued in early 2020. On March 2, 2020, the building construction and site works components of the project were awarded to the lowest bidder with a total bid of $2,380,652 (Council Resolution #68/20). The total project budget included an additional $206,000 of work that was not in the construction tender. This additional budget covers items including a diesel generator, furniture and equipment, security system, window coverings and a bunker gear washer. It is noted that the final design included four drive thru, double deep bays rather than the three drive thru, double deep bay concept prepared by Wilson Dias. The fire hall as tendered also includes a dedicated training room that doubles as an emergency operations center and a fire museum space. The fire hall project was completed in 2021 on budget.
Why was the project pursued in 2021?
The decision to prioritize the fire hall project was made by Council knowing that a decision on the municipal office would need to be made in the coming years. An opportunity for some supporting grant funds arose. Due to the timelines required for the grant, a special Council meeting was called for December 3, 2020 and a detailed report with background information and options for moving forward was presented.
At the December 3, 2020 Council meeting, a decision was made to select the new build option rather than the renovation option. A resolution was passed directing staff to apply for the grant.
What decisions did council make?
Council made the following decisions at the December 3, 2020 meeting:
Proceed with the new build option rather than a renovation option. (Resolution #284/20)
Submit the proposed new administration office project as the West Perth project for the COVID Resiliency Grant opportunity and direct that staff submit the application prior to the December 21, 2021 application deadline. (Resolution #286/20)
Authorize single source procurement of design services for the project. (Resolution #285/20)
The Council members on the committee to advance the project were confirmed. These members are Mayor McKenzie, Deputy Mayor Eidt, Councillor Trentowsky and Councillor Herold. (Resolution #287/20)
At the February 1, 2021 meeting, Council received an update from the Building Working Group and resolved to accept the proposal from Dawley Engineering for conceptual design, tender-ready drawings, site plan, tender management and site supervision services related to the West Perth Municipal Administration Office. (Resolution #18/21)
Was there public input into the design of the new building?
Open House sessions were March 30 and March 31, 2021 to provide information to the public and obtain input on the conceptual design of the proposed building.
What was the budget for the Administration Building?
The all-in project budget was $3,541,248. This budget included design, tender management and construction oversight, construction and site works under the Domm Construction Ltd. contract, furniture and equipment, contingency, building permit fee and the unrecoverable HST. The Municipality of West Perth was successful in a securing a $160,124 Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Covid Resiliency grant to support the project cost. The ICIP contribution is $128,100 from the Federal Government and $32,024 from the Provincial Government.
Community Rooms
The new municipal office has a few spaces available to rent for private events, community group meetings, and corporate meeting space. The recreation and facilities department will be handling reservations for these spaces, as they currently do with the West Perth Community Centre and Arena.
The rooms available include:
Community Room (22x35 feet) approx. 6-8 tables
Meeting Room (16x12 feet) approx. 8-10 people sitting
Multi-use Space (36x34 feet)
Mitchell Tennis Court Relocation
With consideration of a new Fire Hall being built to better service the West Perth community, the tennis courts in Mitchell need a new home. It was confirmed in the Recreation and Leisure Services Master Plan (2016) that there was still a demand for tennis courts and identified the need to undertake a major refurbishment of the tennis court.
In considering options for a new location the Municipality was looking for a spot with existing parking, access to washrooms and within walking distance of the schools. The recommendation is that Veterans Park becomes the home to the new tennis courts in Mitchell. The new location will also be equipped with lights.
An Arborist Report was completed outlining the condition of the trees on the property.
On July 6, 2020 Council awarded the West Perth Tennis Court tender to Armstrong Paving and Materials Group Ltd and construction began in August 2020. The project was completed and the courts were open for use in June 2021.
Photo Gallery: Tennis Court will appear here on the public site.
Henry Street Bridge Construction
West Perth constructed a new Henry Street Bridge over the North Thames River in Mitchell.
A decade in the making, the Henry St. Bridge opened for public use on October 23, 2020 after 13 months of construction by general contractor McLean Taylor Construction from St. Mary's. This project began with preliminary discussions back in 2006, and in 2008 West Perth Council appointed a Steering Committee who initiated an Environmental Assessment process. This included public consultations, a number of major studies, and cost estimates to consider four alternative options. The committee then selected the Henry Street location as a Preliminary Preferred Alternative and presented it to Council for acceptance. The construction of the Henry St. Bridge connects the north end of Mitchell and will improve local traffic while extending the useful life of the Huron/Ontario Road Bridge, therefore deferring the costs of future maintenance and reconstruction. A pedestrian tunnel was built as part of the project which creates a complete loop of the nature trail in Mitchell.
Photo Gallery: North End Henry Street Bridge Construction will appear here on the public site.
West Perth Fire Hall
West Perth constructed a new West Perth Fire Hall which was completed in December 2020.
DOMM Construction and Dawley Engineering have created a new home for the West Perth firefighters that will serve the community for decades. The construction of the new West Perth Fire Hall began on May 1, 2020 and was completed in December 2020.
The new station features four double-deep drive-through bays, a hose drying tower that incorporates the Mitchell Post Office clock dating back to 1911 and bell from 1912 that was cast at the Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough, England. Other features include a museum area for the 1921 and 1928 antique fire trucks, a radio room, offices for fire personnel, a kitchen, and a dualpurpose training room / permanent Emergency Operations Centre. The building design takes the health and safety of the firefighters into account while improving the response capabilities of the department. This design is proactive to the community's needs and is a significant asset to West Perth.
Watch the construction in action:
Fire Hall Progress - May 1 - December 2, 2020
Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery: West Perth Fire Hall will appear here on the public site.
Background
In February of 2019 Council appointed an ad hoc Building Committee to continue to review information from the Administration Office/Fire Hall Feasibility Study to provide a recommendation to Council for consideration.
In July 2019 Council approved the procurement of a conceptual design, tender-ready drawings, site plan, tender management and site supervision services related to the construction of a new Mitchell Station Fire Hall.
In September 2019 Council approved the authorization to enter into a contract for engineering services with Nelson Dawley, P. Eng. as outlined in the Agreement for Professional Engineering Services and the September 12, 2019 Quotation for Services.
In February 2020, Council awarded the West Perth Fire Hall project to Domm Construction Ltd. with construction to begin in May of 2020.
On May 1st, 2020 the construction of the West Perth Fire Hall began.
Video Surveillance
To protect Municipal assets, employees and the public, video surveillance is used in Municipal facilities as part of a larger program that includes lighting, security patrols, and built environment design to promote public safety and security.
How does the System Work?
Cameras record video images of Municipal facilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The video that is recorded is stored in digital format. Recorded video is used to investigate incidents and as evidence for prosecutions. The video recordings are retained for 72 hours. The system is operated in accordance with the Video Surveillance Policy.
Privacy Protection
The Municipality recognizes the need to balance an individual’s right to privacy and the need to ensure safety and security in the community. It has designed its video surveillance program to ensure the benefits of video surveillance outweigh the loss of personal privacy. It does this by employing a number of strategies:
Where feasible, less invasive means such as lighting and increased security patrols are employed in place of video surveillance;
Cameras are positioned and screened to minimizes privacy intrusions;
The retention period for recorded video is strictly limited and destruction of the video records at the end of the retention period is automated;
The program is subject to random compliance audits.
Can I Access a Video Recording?
Video recordings are only disclosed in response to a formal access to information request under the Municipal Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). The Municipality processes all access to information requests, including requests for video, in accordance with the requirements of the Act. Click here for instructions on how to file a request. Before filing a request, you should know the following:
When making your request, you must be as specific as possible in describing the video records you are seeking. At a minimum, please provide the time, date and location where the video was recorded. The more details you are able to provide, the more likely that the video you are seeking can be located.
The Municipality must balance your right to access Municipal records, with the privacy rights of affected individuals. In practical terms, this means that license plate numbers and the faces of identifiable individuals will be obscured (blurred or pixelated) prior to disclosure of the video records.
The Act specifies processing fees which apply to access to information requests. You can limit fees by limiting the timeframe of the video you request. For bus video, you can also limit fees by limiting the number of camera angles you request.
Disclosure to Law Enforcement
The Municipality discloses video records to law enforcement agencies in Canada upon request, providing the records are used for the purposes of an active law enforcement investigation.
Legal Authority
Personal information collected through the recording of surveillance video is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act and the Occupier's Liability Act.
Questions or Concerns?
For more information. Contact the Clerk's Office clerk@westperth.com 519-348-8429
