Kingsville relocates council meetings to Unico Centre

The Unico Community Centre on Beech Street will be the home of Kingsville Town Council meetings for the next three to five years.

A motion was brought forward by Councillor Tony Gaffan at the October 10 council meeting, recommending that meetings be relocated to either the Unico Hall or the Grovedale Arts and Culture Centre until council approves a plan for the permanent future location of the meetings.

In the 2023 facilities review released this past summer, it was recommended that the current town hall be replaced.

Currently, staff quarters are cramped and the council chambers could be better utilized to accommodate staff who are sharing offices within the building.

Gaffan’s motion was originally stated as follows: 

“That Council and committee meetings be relocated to either the Unico or Grovedale, with office space available for staff in the current Town Hall council chambers. This temporary relocation to either the Unico or Grovedale will be for three to five years until Council approves a plan for the permanent future location for meetings, per the recommendations outlined in the 2023 Facilities Review.”

A comparison report presented by Kingsville CAO John Norton showed the differences between the Unico and Grovedale options, with one of the main points being the time it would take to set up and take down the council set-up at the Grovedale, while the Unico could be set up permanently.

Both options are larger than the current town hall council chambers, but some set-up would be required to utilize each.

Councillor Thomas Neufeld said he supported the Unico location over the Grovedale, as it was used for the same purpose years ago while the town hall was being renovated.

He made a motion to amend Gaffan’s original motion to strike the Grovedale from the motion and use only the Unico option.

“We’re looking at this to be a temporary location, after which the Unico should be liquidated as was the plan when we purchased it,” he said.

Councillor Gaffan disagreed.

“I think out of the box and after nine years of sitting in this room, I think the upstairs at the Grovedale would be your best move,” he said. “We have made it abundantly clear that we are removing as much private usage as possible and it’s more for the municipality.”

Gaffan said that the upstairs at the Grovedale is underutilized and would be a perfect setting, allowing them to use it for municipal needs like it was originally intended.

“We can install a curtain to keep people out and leave the council chamber set up permanently up there,” he added.

Councillor Sheri Lowrie agreed with Gaffan.

“I was under the impression that the Unico was to be kept as a community centre,” she said. “The Grovedale is underutilized. I’m in agreement with the Grovedale being a better space.”

Norton agreed that closing off the upstairs of the Grovedale from the public is possible, but would cost more money than setting up at the Unico.

Deputy Mayor Kimberly DeYong offered that they should replace the current council desk with folding tables and chairs and she was in favour of the Unico solution.

“To me, its pointing to Unico because of staff time and we don’t have a lot of staff,” she said.

Mayor Dennis Rogers spoke in favour of the Unico location.

“We want to be fiscally responsible with this decision,” he said. “From what I’m hearing, Unico is a better decision and that’s what I’ll support.”

Gaffan offered that the upstairs at Grovedale was more professional.

“I do believe we have the capability of putting it up there,” he said.

In the end, council voted on the amended motion and only Gaffan and Lowrie voted against that amendment.

They expect to relocate to the Unico Centre by the end of the year.