Christopher Watts has left a new comment on your post "RENE'S CAFE":
Back in this February piece ( http://www.newspapers-online.com/auroran/?p=13436 ) we learn that SportAurora's hallmark proposal "raised a few questions around the table at last week’s General Committee meeting, including the feasibility of retrofitting the building to meet these needs and any structural challenges that might be encountered along the way."
When first proposed back in August of last year ( http://www.yorkregion.com/sports-story/5796733-sport-aurora-pitches-plan-for-former-hallmark-building-to-aurora-council/ ) delegates couldn't comment on retrofits. The question is why not? It appears there were some base numbers being thrown about that didn't get shared with council. When reviewing the Aurora-King baseball meeting minutes ( http://www.akba.ca/site/ClientSite/article/1392224 ) for June of 2015 we see item # 4. Indoor Facility:
"*Confidential* request brought forward by Dave G. to possibly share a building facility on
VanDorf Sideroad. It involves the Volleyball Associations (requires 35 foot ceiling). It is a 200,000 square foot facility. They contacted other Aurora sports groups to gauge interest.
The Summer 365 sports facility in Newmarket closed as of June 6. It could cost
$8.50/square foot and baseball would require 50,000 square feet. AKBA concern is how
much will the Town of Aurora subsidize."
Then one month later in July's meeting item # 3. Potential for Sports Facility, starts to fill in some scope:
"It would cost $50K per column to remove columns in the building. Costs can be amortized over 10 years. It appears that a new sports facility is not being developed to replace Sport 365 in Newmarket."
$50K per column, so what is the number of columns needed to be removed?
Strangely enough the plan wasn't attached to the Council agenda for August delegation. Also it does not appear on the Sport Aurora website.
However TennisinAuurora has the drawings for 3 plans.
Plans 1 ( http://www.tennisinaurora.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hallmark-building-fp-1.jpg ) and 2 ( http://www.tennisinaurora.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hallmark-building-fp-2.jpg ) look to cut 50 columns. Cost = $2.5 Million.
Baseball would need to remove 6, representing their share of the cost to be $300,000.
Plan 3 http://www.tennisinaurora.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hallmark-building-fp-3.jpg looks to only cut 12 columns for a cost of only $600,000, but there is no baseball.
These figures are estimates of costs just to retrofit one element of a building that the town does not own.
How much the Town of Aurora will subsidize isn't just a concern for a single sports group, but the entire town.
Posted by Christopher Watts to Our Town and Its Business at 3 May 2016 at 11:12
We have to hope someone else purchases Hallmark. Aurora sure doesn't need another place to re-vitalize. We have too many buildings already needing attention.
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