Hidden costs

Council to vote on $65,500 repair this week.

Ceiling repair expands to a new roof at Hillier Hall

It is a risky business peering behind the facade of an old building. But when a corner of the false ceiling at Hillier Hall began to crumble—it could no longer be avoided. After the damage was discovered last September, the historic town hall was closed to public events. It remains closed. This week, council will consider the growing cost to fix it.

Built in 1867, the year of the confederation of Canada, the stone building served as the municipal seat for more than 140 years. It was here that Hillier township’s affairs were conducted—from paying taxes to registering deeds. Hosting council meetings, quilting bees and soirées, Hillier Hall was, and remains, the centre of the community.

Today, it continues to be an active and busy community centre for a wide variety of events, and serves as home base for the Hillier Women’s Institute and Hillier Recreation Committee.

Hillier Hall is the only public building in Hillier Ward to serve residents of the western region, according to Recreation Committee member Conrad Beaubien.

The Hillier Women’s Institute celebrated 100 years of service to the community in the hall last summer.

“There are no alternative indoor public places—museums, libraries, churches or schools,” said Beaubien. “It serves a vital role as a cultural centre, focused on promoting the agri-tourism economy of the region centred around the wineries.”

PEELING BACK LAYERS
The challenge facing the new council this week, however, is the same that faces owners of other old buildings—repairs on structural components like ceilings tend to blossom into bigger projects. Once begun, it is difficult to know when to stop.

As County staff have peeled back the layers to assess the damage, the scale of the problems grew. Under the t-bar suspended ceiling, the original lath and plaster is in poor condition— likely motivating the installation of the false ceiling. But when it was opened up, it became clear that parts of the old lath and plaster have begun to give in to gravity, collecting on the foam panels and putting pressure on the suspended ceiling. It all has to be replaced back to the joists.

But that, it turned out, was just the beginning of the problems.

Once the lath and plaster was pulled away, workers found outdated electrical wiring and evidence the metal roof is leaking. This week, council will be asked to approve a $65,500 budget to replace the roof, update the wiring and install a new ceiling.

The Rec Committee has agreed to contribute $6,000 toward the cost of the repairs. The balance will be taken from the County’s capital reserve account.

The issues at Hillier Hall illustrate a larger problem. The municipality owns more than 80 buildings—many of which are old and in need of repair. Some issues, like those at the Hillier Hall, may lurk behind walls and under floors. The size of the problem is not fully known. More problematic is the fact that only recently has the municipality begun to put money aside in reserve accounts in order to sustain these structures.

As these bills pile up, pressure will surely increase on council to carefully consider the future of some of its buildings—a difficult discussion that can’t be put off indefinitely.