To propose the demolition of the former St. Ann School Education Resource Centre building located at 2123 Hixon Street, Oakville.

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1 Regular Board Meeting Tuesday, October 20, 2015 STAFF REPORT ITEM 9.1 FORMER ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE PROPOSED BUILDING DEMOLITION PURPOSE: To propose the demolition of the former St. Ann School Education Resource Centre building located at 2123 Hixon Street, Oakville. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: St. Ann School, Oakville was constructed in 1965 and was closed as an active school in 1996 as part of a school consolidation and closure process, which included St. Dominic and St. Joseph Catholic Elementary Schools. As part of the consolidation and closure process, the Ministry approved a change in use of the St. Ann School site to Board administrative space. Since the closure of St. Ann School, the school building has accommodated the Board s Education Resource Centre (ERC). The accommodation of the ERC at the St. Ann building was considered temporary until a more permanent facility was available. Subsequently, building maintenance and repairs to the St. Ann facility have been frugal. In June 2015, after a review of the necessary repairs for the St. Ann building, it was determined that the strategy of minimal maintenance was no longer feasible for the ERC and some costly repairs were required. A new roof and heating system, at a cost of approximately $575,000, was required if the St. Ann building was to continue to accommodate the ERC. In addition, other costly building maintenance repairs and replacements would be required in the near future at the St. Ann facility. It was determined that the operations and maintenance expenditures for the St. Ann facility would not be financially viable in the long term. Consequently, the St. Ann building has been vacated and the ERC staff and its contents relocated to surplus classroom spaces in Burlington in close proximity to the Catholic Education Centre. Information Report 10.6 from the October 6, 2015 Regular Meeting of the Board contains more information regarding the relocation of the former St. Ann ERC to surplus classroom spaces. Please refer to Appendix A for site details, floor plans, and photos of the St. Ann facility. COMMENTS: Although the ERC has been relocated from the former St. Ann School site and the building is now vacant, the building repairs and the future use of the site need to be addressed. Vacant facilities can be a liability issue and the St. Ann School building is no exception. A vacant St. Ann School building can be prone to vandalism, squatting and pest infestations. In fact, windows have already been damaged by vandals in the past two months since the building has been vacant. Operations and maintenance cost will continue to be incurred for the St. Ann School site while the building is vacant. Refer to Table 1 Projected 2015/ Former St. Ann School Site Operating Expenses. Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 1 of 3

2 To mitigate the risk of serious damage, the gas and water service to the St. Ann School building have been turned off. The electrical service is still intact to provide security lighting and alarm systems for the facility. In addition, the St. Ann facility is regularly monitored by staff and immediate concerns are addressed. Due to the current condition of the St. Ann School building there are no immediate uses planned for the St. Ann School facility. Furthermore, the cost to rehabilitate the building is high and perhaps cost prohibitive to repurpose the building for other school board uses. At this time it is unlikely that the St. Ann School building is viable and poses a liability risk to the Board. Therefore, staff proposes that the St. Ann school building be demolished to reduce the risk of liability, vandalism and avoid further operating expenses. As is the Board s regular practice with its vacant properties and as recommended by the Board s insurer (OSBIE), the former St. Ann School site will be completely fenced, including across the front of the property along Hixon Street. A 6 foot high chain linked galvanized fence with a lockable gate to allow access for grass cutting vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances to enter the site will be installed. There will be no gates or openings for pedestrians to access the site. In addition, a sign with the Board contact information will be posted on the fence along Hixon Street. The demolition and site remediation of the St. Ann School building and property is estimated at $200,000. This is only a preliminary estimate at this time and includes a $60,000 allowance for potential hazardous materials abatement (i.e. asbestos, mold, etc.). The demolition work would include deconstruction and disposition of all building materials, disconnection of services, fencing, grading of the site and top soil and grass seeding. Please refer to Table 2 Preliminary Building Demolition & Site Remediation Cost Estimate Former St. Ann School, Oakville. Upon completion of the building demolition and site remediation work, the site operating costs for the St. Ann School property would be reduced by an estimated $16,000 annually. This is in addition to the estimated annual average expenditure avoidance of approximately $80,000 as a result of relocating the ERC from the St. Ann School site, for a total annual operating expenditure reduction of approximately $96,000. The only remaining ongoing operating cost for the St. Ann School site would be lawn maintenance and perhaps some snow clearing. The estimated cost for this grounds maintenance expenditure is approximately $2,500 per year. Another benefit of the St. Ann School building removal is the expected increase in value of the Hixon Street property in the event of its future disposition. The disposition of the former St. Ann School site would be conducted in accordance with Ministry of Ontario Regulation 444/98 and the proceeds of such disposition would be held in the Proceeds of Disposition (POD) reserve, anticipated to be used for the acquisition of a site and construction of a future Board Administrative facility, as permitted in Ontario Regulation 193/10. The cost to demolish the St. Ann School building has not been budgeted in the Budget. Similarly, the operation and maintenance expenditure of approximately $96,000 for the St. Ann facility is included in the Budget since the decision to relocate the ERC or to repair the St. Ann School building was not determined at the time the Budget was established. Therefore, the budgeted $96,000 expenditure could be credited towards the demolition cost, if demolition of the St. Ann School building is approved. The remaining St. Ann School Building demolition costs will be temporarily funded from the Board s reserves, which will be replenished over the next two years by the annual operating budget savings identified above. Demolition of the St. Ann School building would require Ministry approval and municipal permits and approvals. The length of time required to complete this process is not certain at this time. In any event, it is recommended that the St. Ann School building be removed at the earliest opportunity to mitigate liability risk and reduce operating expenditures. In an effort to make use of the St. Ann School facility until a determination regarding the demolition of the St. Ann building is made, the facility has been offered to the Halton Regional Police Service for use in training exercises. The Halton Police Service is very grateful for the opportunity to use the St. Ann facility for police training purposes. Staff, in consultation with OSBIE and legal counsel, has entered into an agreement with the Halton Regional Police Services Board for Halton Police to use the former St. Ann School site for training purposes. See Appendix B Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 2 of 3

3 CONCLUSION: The St. Ann School building is in need of major repairs. As a consequence the Educational Resource Centre (ERC) was relocated from the St. Ann School site and the facility is now vacant, but continues to be monitored by staff. There appears to be no future need for the St. Ann building and it would be very costly to rehabilitate the building. Moreover, a vacant facility has a number of inherent liability risks associated with it. The demolition of the St. Ann building is estimated at approximately $200,000 which includes an allowance for hazardous materials. The relocation of the ERC from the St. Ann School building resulted in a budget expenditure reduction of approximately $80,000. The demolition of the vacant building would result in an additional budget expenditure reduction of approximately $16,000 for a total annual operating expenditure reduction of approximately $96,000. The demolition costs will be temporarily funded from the Board s reserves, which will be replenished from the annual operating expenditure savings. Another benefit of the St. Ann School building is the expected increase in value of the property in the event of a future disposition of the St. Ann School site. It is recommended that the St. Ann School site be completely fenced to prevent access to the property and that the school building be demolished at the earliest opportunity to mitigate liability risk and reduce operating expenditures. REPORT PREPARED BY: REPORT SUBMITTED BY: REPORT APPROVED BY: R. MERRICK ADMINISTRATOR, SCHOOL OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE G. CORBACIO SUPERINTENDENT, FACILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES P. DAWSON DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND SECRETARY OF THE BOARD Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 3 of 3

4 APPENDIX A ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE FIGURE A.1 ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE SITE PLAN AND DATA Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 1 of 4

5 FIGURE A.2 ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE FLOOR PLAN FIGURE A.3 ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE AERIAL PHOTO Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 2 of 4

6 FIGURE A.4 ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE FRONT ELEVATION FIGURE A.5 ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE REAR ELEVATION Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 3 of 4

7 FIGURE A.6 WATER DAMAGE FROM ROOF LEAKS AT ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE FIGURE A.7 ORIGINAL BOILER AT ST. ANN EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE Former St. Ann Education Resource Centre Proposed Building Demolition Page 4 of 4

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10 Ta TABLE NO. 1 Projected 2015/2016 Site Operating Expenses Former St. Ann School Electricity $3,000 General Repairs (electrical, plumbing, etc.) $10,000 Snow Removal $3,000 Landscaping / Grounds* $2,500 Grand Total $18,500 *landscaping/grounds expense to continue after building disposition

11 TABLE NO. 2 Preliminary Building Demolition & Site Remediation Cost Estimate Former St. Ann School Designated Substance Survey $5,000 Demolition Plan and Permit $5,000 Demolition and Site Cleanup $100,000 Hazardous Materials Abatement $60,000 Site Fencing $5,000 Disconnection of Services $5,000 Subtotal $180,000 Contingency $20,000 Grand Total $200,000