The following is a staff report on the old Courthouse and Jail property going to Council on Monday from the Community Services Committee. It is in response to a motion following a presentation last February from Taylor Hazell Architects. It was noted by City planning staff at that meeting that "the City has set the preservation and adaptive reuse of the designated 1854 Courthouse as the highest priority."
“After receiving the presentation from Taylor Hazell Architects on the Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) and Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Courthouse and Jail, Committee requested that staff provide an estimate of costs for each of the four options outlined in the presentation as well as an estimate of costs for a fifth option of maintaining the jail buildings and structures, prior to the public consultation process.
For Option 1, which is the complete demolition and removal of the Governor’s Residence and miscellaneous buildings, clean up of the site, and rectification of the adjoining masonry at the Courthouse and 1854 Jail, the estimate is as follows:
• Cost to demolish - $250,000
• Replace roof on Courthouse - $68,820
• Cover windows and doors - $16,500
• Total - $335,320
For Option 2, which is the complete demolition and removal of the 1854 Jail and connection to the 1869 Jail, with repairs to the adjoining Courthouse and repairs to the connection to the 1869 Jail walls, the estimate is as follows:•
• Cost to demolish (includes Options 1 & 2) - $620,000
• Replace roof on Courthouse - $68,820
• Cover windows and doors - $14,400
• Total - $703,220
For Option 3, which includes the demolition and removal of the Jail Yard boundary walls, with salvage of the masonry for reuse, repairs to the adjoining 1864 Jail walls and landscape rectification, the estimate is as follows:
• Cost to demolish (includes Options 1, 2 & 3) - $1,006,000
• Replace roof on Courthouse - $68,820
• Cover windows and doors - $14,400
• Total - $1,089,220
For Option 4, which includes the demolition and complete removal of the 1869 Jail and rectification of its site, the estimate is as follows:
• Cost to demolish (includes Options 1, 2, 3 & 4) - $1,318,000
• Replace roof on Courthouse - $68,820
• Cover windows and doors - $14,400
• Total - $1,401,220
For Option 5, which includes maintaining the buildings, the estimate is as follows:
• Replace roof on Courthouse - $68,820
• Cover windows and doors - $14,400
• Security services (estimated 2020 cost) - $5,700
• Total - $91,020
The Director of Community Services advised that to develop the cost estimates, staff worked on the assumption that it is the goal at this time to retain the designated Courthouse building. In order to retain the building, a new roof is important, and therefore, is included in each option as well as boarding up the remaining windows and doors. Councillor Thomas inquired if the cost of replacing the roof on the Courthouse could be removed from the estimates since the plan is to replace it anyway. He also asked if staff could obtain a quote for a new boiler or other form of heating to be installed in the Courthouse since the building is rotting away on the inside since it is currently not being heated. If the Courthouse building is going to remain, then we need to ensure that we are keeping it in a good condition where it could have a future.
The Senior Manager of Property and Parks & Open Space advised that in order to secure the building envelope of the Courthouse, more work would need to be completed. In its current state, the building would not be able to retain heat since the building envelope is not secure.
Staff would also need to determine what services would be most efficient to reintroduce to this building. We would also need to increase security services if services were introduced back to the building.”