The chopping block

Wellington Town Hall edges toward sale after tie vote on Foundation bid

Following years of community efforts and consultations aimed at saving it, the future of the Wellington Town Hall appears headed toward the real estate market. At Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Council was evenly split on whether to support establishing an independent foundation to take on the building. With motions lost on a tie, the subsequent vote to declare the hall surplus and prepare it for sale carried.

Council will make the final decision at its December 9 meeting.

The Wellington Town Hall Foundation group, led by Wellington residents Christina Ziedler and Sarah Bobas, was the only organization to submit an expression of interest during the four-month call. It had asked for approval to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding with the County. Their intention was to outline terms, conditions, and a one- to two-year transition period to move stewardship and eventual ownership of the historic hall to the volunteer-run foundation.

Braney reiterated his long-standing push to divest unused or deteriorating municipal properties, recalling his motion three years ago directing the County to part with assets no longer serving the community.

“Since that motion was approved and supported by this council, we haven’t sold a single outhouse in three years, I just see this municipality spinning its wheels constantly,” Braney said. “We’re spending money like a bunch of sailors and we’re not getting to the crux of what we need to do to actually put money into infrastructure, into roads, and into things that are tangible. Sometimes leadership sucks. But we need to start the ball rolling and parting ways with some of these properties.”

Braney and others thanked the foundation for its work. The group’s vision was to model the Wellington hall’s future after the Baxter Arts Centre in Bloomfield— supported by a foundation to raise capital funds alongside a programming department. The committee members, described as highly experienced, intended to apply for grants and pursue community support, with no ongoing financial assistance from the County once the transition was complete.

Municipal staff noted the hall is among the most deteriorated of County facilities, with foundation issues and significant problems on the second floor. It has remained unused for several years. The Asset Management Plan identifies more than $652,000 in repairs needed before the end of 2026. Between 2023 and 2025, the County spent just over $36,000 on maintenance, utilities, and contracted work at the site, and ongoing annual operating costs of $15,000 to $19,000 are expected if it remains in municipal hands.

Councillor Phil St.-Jean agreed that the County’s asset management pressures leave little room for delay.

“We recently went through an asset management plan that identified how bad things really are,” he said. “We set a goal for ourselves of 25 per cent dispersed disposition of buildings. I don’t know how we’re going to get there if we don’t start.”

St.-Jean, who served nearly four years with the Picton Town Hall management board, cautioned that establishing a new foundation “is not easy,” noting it typically takes a minimum of 24 months and involves “massive amounts of time, paperwork and legal costs.”

He also recalled attending a Wellington open house, led by then-Councillor Mike Harper, where a standing-room-only crowd “overwhelmingly” signalled it was time to let the hall go.

Foundation head Christina Ziedler said Wellington Town Hall shouldn’t have to bear the weight of a larger decision.

“You are having a conversation about your Asset Management Plan, which seems to be in good order now that you have voted on it in October. I see this project comes in line, and I don’t think it is fair to have the burden of a larger conversation come down to one building. This takes it off your books, and it does it quickly and effectively. We also need to look at the market conditions. This went out to tender and nothing came back. Nothing,” she said.

Several councillors supported the foundation’s proposal. Mayor Steve Ferguson and councillors Janice Maynard, Sam Grosso, Kate Mac- Naughton, John Hirsch, and Corey Engelsdorfer voted to move ahead with seeking an MOU with the group.

Councillor Maynard thought it was worth giving the group a year to see what it can come up with.

“I think we can at least give this a year to see how it works out, and probably have an accurate market value appraisal, considering there is very little you can do with that property.”

Councillor MacNaughton pointed to the strength of the proposed foundation’s membership. Hirsch noted that transferring the hall would spare the County from significant capital repairs. Mayor Ferguson emphasized that the hall remains “vitally important to the community” and should continue to serve it.

Councillor Engelsdorfer said he had originally leaned toward selling the building until attending several open houses where residents expressed strong support for pursuing a foundation model.

“I have no idea how much this building is worth, but I see this as the quickest way to get it off of our books and into somebody else’s hands,” he said. “I see it as the final chance for that building, and I don’t think this group will take that lightly. Given Councillor Hirsch’s motion to give them 12 months, if it doesn’t get done, then we’re pounding a for-sale sign in the front lot.”

The foundation had hoped to acquire the hall for a nominal fee—such as one dollar—raising all capital and operating funds independently through grants, donations, and partnerships after a short transition period.

With Thursday’s tie defeating the MOU direction, the matter now returns to Council for a final decision on December 9. The full foundation submission is available on the County’s website.