Councillors in Gibsons aren’t ready yet to decide the fate of the building at Pioneer Park in the Landing.
The building houses a visitor information centre and washrooms, but it’s fallen into disrepair. The roof is leaking and a sewer system blockage forced the Town to close the men’s washroom.
Council’s committee of the whole reviewed an architect’s report on the state of the building at its Dec. 20 meeting. The report outlines a host of problems, some tied to the design of the roof. It also noted that the washrooms have been used “for sleeping, laundry and apparent drug use.”
Based on the report, Town staff have outlined three options. The essential upgrades could be done for about $100,000. A full renovation and upgrade to the building and washrooms would come in at around $215,000. The third option is to tear down the building and do some new landscaping. The demolition budget is estimated at $25,000 to $30,000, with an additional $20,000 for new landscaping.
Coun. Stafford Lumley said he’s not certain the Pioneer Park location is the best spot for the visitor information centre, so tearing the building down might be the best option. “I would tend to lean toward option C, maybe creating something new down there. I know the loss of the washrooms might be a bit of a concern, but if somehow they can be built into something that’s more of a nicer setting than that building, that’s the way to go.”
Mayor Wayne Rowe said maintaining the existing washrooms seems like a losing battle. “The facilities have to be in a place where there’s a presence, otherwise we just end up with the destruction we’ve seen.”
Dave Newman, the Town’s director of engineering, told the committee that there are other locations for new public washrooms if the building is torn down. “I see lots of different opportunities to provide washrooms, whether it’s a lean-to on an existing building, or a rental of a space, or construction of washrooms in another publicly owned area. It’s not contingent on that building remaining in that location.”
Rowe also said before making any decisions it will be worth getting a clearer picture of what’s going to be happening with visitor information services now that Sunshine Coast Tourism is collecting a room tax, and the Gibsons Chamber of Commerce is proposing an office expansion at the Sunnycrest Mall that would include a visitor information centre.
“I think this is an important opportunity for members of council to discuss a little bit generally [issues] around provision of tourism services,” he said. “With the changes with Sunshine Coast Tourism now having access to the hotel tax funds, the questions begin to arise [about] exactly what our commitment is going to be to funding tourism here in the Town.”
CAO Emanuel Machado said Town staff expect to have more information sometime in January. The service contract with the Gibsons Chamber of Commerce for visitor information services and economic development ended Dec. 31, 2016.
