Lloydminster city council will be presented with a choice on Monday which may impact the downtown for years to come.
A report prepared by the Community Services Department of the municipal government has proposed the purchase of the old Synergy Credit Union building, and subsequent re-development of the building into a “Community Hub”, which will house the public library, and other community services. Council will be discussing the proposal on Monday afternoon.
According to the administration report prepared for Monday’s council meeting, the municipal administration has already signed a letter of intent to purchase the building. The total cost of the purchase is expected to be around $4,716,000.00.
The report includes the documents of a presentation on the topic, which describe the community hub project as part of a new vision for the downtown core. The stages for the project, if approved, would proceed in four distinct phases, with the land acquisition being the first step. The second and third would consist of the design and move-in to the new space, with the fourth and final being the design and construction of a central urban square.
“Very little of the City’s recent growth has occurred in its inner-communities,” reads the presentation document.
“While the city grows fervently at its periphery, it embodies its smaller aging shell in its central areas. A city as dynamic as Lloydminster deserves a much more vibrant, active, and relevant centre. We feel that the Community Hub could turn the page by relieving multiple growth pressures and answering several of the city’s desires. By bringing the library and several other community and economic centered groups together, a new type of community/economic space could be created. A space that focuses on the bright future of Lloydminster exactly where it’s needed most, at its heart.”
The presentation also draws on feedback from the Your Voice events conducted by the City, stating citizen feedback indicated Lloydminster residents want to have re-development in the central areas of the community, as well as a desire for more park space and a more comfortable, safe downtown.
Also noted in the presentation documents is a proposition to demolish the Community Services building, located next to the Legacy Centre. The presentation states the building is dated, and the lot on which it sits is under-utilized. If the Community Hub project was realized, the organizations contained within the building would move to the new space, while the former site of the Community Services building would be subdivided and sold to a developer.
The final decision on whether or not the project will get in motion rests in the hands of the city council. This story will be updated following their decisions on Monday afternoon.