Space for Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff is getting tight, and directors had a chance to review solutions for alleviating the crunch at the Oct. 23 corporate and administrative services committee meeting.
Cornerstone Planning Group was hired to review SCRD’s Field Road location and public works yard on Mason Road, as well as a smaller site in Pender Harbour on Lagoon Road.
Two solutions were considered for the Field Road office. One would introduce shared offices and modular buildings for an estimated cost of $1.1 million. The second option, priced at approximately $5.7 million, would involve a complete interior renovation to create an “open office environment,” and could require moving services away from Field Road to other locations.
Space improvement projects for the public works yard at Mason Road ranged between approximately $5.7 and $28 million.
The cheaper option would include renovations to the transit and utilities facilities to better accommodate staff, the installation of a motorized gate, consolidating parking spaces and removing the condemned emergency planning building and other unused equipment and parts. It would also see a “modular office space” added for changing rooms and a lunchroom, and another for Parks staff. Currently there is no female changing room in the utilities building.
The more expensive options would see the site completely redeveloped, including a new utilities and parks building and expanding the transit and fleet facility. That could involve expanding the site by purchasing adjacent lands or creating a satellite bus depot.
The consultants assumed the site would be used for the next 10 years. Currently, the SCRD leases from a private land owner.
The report suggested maintaining the Lagoon Road site as is or else shuttering it if used infrequently in the future.
Following the presentation, Gibsons director Bill Beamish introduced another idea for the works yard.
“This is out of left field but I wonder if there’s any sense in the longer term planning to look at cohosting the Dusty Road site with the District of Sechelt, which is also looking at upgrading facilities,” he said, adding this would allow the SCRD to get out of leasing the current site.
Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said it was a “great idea,” and that the SCRD “should pursue that.”
The district is currently undergoing a similar review of various facilities, including its works yard, also with Cornerstone.
Both Area A director Len Lee and Roberts Creek director Andreas Tizes supported the idea, leading to a motion that local governments be consulted to identify space needs in case there are opportunities to combine services and sites.
During the discussion, Cornerstone presenters noted that despite interviews with stakeholders, there remained “major questions left on the table,” such as a lack of a long-term staffing plan.
That resulted in another motion, this time for staff to bring back a report to consider proposed short and long-term requirements that also take into account a 20-year staffing plan.
“I understand the situation is pretty critical right now,” said Siegers. “We may need to do some of the shorter pieces now to buy some time to get to that long-term piece.”
The motion passed unanimously.
