NewmarketToday.ca brings you this weekly feature about our town's history in partnership with Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, a local historian for more than 40 years. He conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, as well as leads local oral history interviews. You can contact the History Hound at [email protected].
We're continuing our trip back in time to look at the various locations that served as our Town Offices. As the town grew, so did the need for bigger and better facilities to house our council and town departments. This is part two of a two-part series that will provide you with short descriptions of all our town offices from the period of our incorporation to present day. Today, we look at the period from the move to the Tannery on Davis Drive to the present-day facility on Mulock Drive — a time that was filled with some controversy and angst locally.
Fourth Town Office – 465 Davis Dr.
Newmarket’s population had doubled from 1971 to 1980 and the post-war influence on society produced radical environmental changes to the downtown core that had been the focal point of the administration for more than 150 years. The growth of the surrounding area diminished the stature of Main Street, though there was a plethora of sentiment to retain it as the control centre of the town’s administration to enhance business interests.
Mayor Ray Twinney, who was elected as mayor in 1970, was confronted with a dilemma of space accommodation in the municipal offices at 171 Main St. in 1987. The facilities became heavily overburdened and forecasts indicated it was to be an increasing problem.
Another factor, entering the high-tech age, was a pending major expenditure of $487,000 for a built-in computer system. Architects Smith & Milne prepared proposals for an extension flanking the south side of the existing structure. The design was complicated due to the difficult contour of the property. The preliminary estimates were very high, $650,000 plus, and with the inevitable escalation of costs, it was considered advisable to explore alternatives.
The first impulse was to investigate the large factory building on the north side of Timothy Street built in 1912 by the Office Specialty Mfg. Co. This had some attraction, having 15 acres of land within the central core area and adequate parking adjacent to Main. The building had 68,000 square feet of floor space. Currently, the town offices had 14,000 square feet. The proposal was put forth to use 30,000 square feet for town office needs and 30,000 square feet for a library, which had at the time 18,000 square feet available.
Following a series of intense meetings, a proposition was presented to relocate the municipal offices to the newly renovated Davis Tannery Mall prompted by Mayor Twinney, who had formed an alliance with Alberto DoCouto, an enterprising developer operating under the name of Mater’s Management Ltd.
Negotiations between Council and the owners of the Tannery Mall resulted in a decision in mid-April 1987 to accept an offer of $7.50 per square feet rental for 25,000 square feet over a term of 25 years ($187,500 annually). Not included was a proportional share of operating costs, parking lot maintenance, snow removal, lighting, realty taxes, insurance etc. A new two-story addition was required to provide the required area to be entered from the mezzanine level and an elevator and stairs to a separate entrance on the east side.
A deal was made to lease the Tannery location for five years with the option to sublet it at a future anticipated higher prevailing rate at the end of the term. In the meantime, the Office Specialty factory was to be purchased and renovated so the town offices could move back to the central core at the end of the five-year term. The asking price for the premises was $3 million. In July 1987, it was purchased for $2.8 million. The savings (some say fictitious) of $200,000 was immediately diverted to the recreation complex and called “a windfall for the taxpayer”.
In September 1987, Mayor Twinney invested in a 200-seat restaurant in the Tannery Mall. To avoid conflict of interest, he told Council he would no longer participate in dealings between the Town and Mall owners and that Regional Councillor Bob Scott would handle all future negotiations.
The move of the municipal offices from Main to Davis Drive was clinched on the proviso that parking space would be available for 900 cars and that traffic entrance/exit to and from Davis was possible. Occupancy was promised for late 1987 but was actually delayed until March 1988.
When Council made its decision to move to the Tannery, it attempted to offset the objections of those who wanted to retain the downtown area as the administrative centre by announcing in April 1987 it was temporary and the Office Specialty factory would be the future permanent site for the town offices after the five-year lease at the Tannery expired. As I remember, nobody believed this to be true. In June 1989, it was confirmed the Office Specialty idea was to be abandoned and the municipal offices intended to stay on Davis with an option to renew the lease for 25 years at an annual cost of $200,000 or about $8 per square foot.
The purchase of the old factory proved to be quite an expensive burden. Once having it, Council didn’t know what to do with it. The building was derelict with broken windows, a leaking basement and barely functioning heating system. The interior was barren with open ceilings and walls and floors encrusted with grime. Nevertheless, perseverance prevailed and the surrounding area was levelled and a three-man “swat team” from the works department set about to renovate the complex over the next three years.
By 1990, after a multitude of changes. it was occupied by several non-profit community groups. The Victorian Order of Nurses leased a part of the top floor for its regional office and, in 1990, the museum occupied approximately 7,500 square feet and remained there until 1996 when it moved to its Main Street location.
The Office Specialty Complex was left in limbo until Mayor John Cole announced a five-year lease to Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy effective Sept. 1, 1996 with an option to purchase.
Current Town Office – 395 Mulock Dr.
Mayor John Cole was elected for a three-year term from 1995 to 1997, and in April 1995, the new Council approved $1.1 million for the purchase of an abandoned factory at 395 Mulock Dr., comprising 70,000 square feet and 8.8 acres of land situated west of the CNR railway and east of the Holland River. Councillor Pam MacDonald was the only member to vote against it because the town was heavily committed financially to expand the library and build a new west-end fire hall on McCaffrey Road. The intended purpose was to house the transit buses, park and recreation equipment, mobile display floats, and as a recycling drop-off location.
On June 1, 1995, the library on Park Avenue closed for renovations and the total contents were moved to the newly acquired factory on Mulock and continued functioning there until Jan. 20, 1996.
In September 1995, the redundant No. 2 fire hall on Davis was sold to Bell Mobility. It had been used for the storage of transit buses, so they also relocated to the Mulock site.
When the Office Specialty Complex was leased in September 1996, the Elman W. Campbell Museum vacated the premises and the contents were stored in the Mulock warehouse pending renovations to the former registry office on Main.
At the first council meeting in September 1996, the Mulock operations building was declared surplus by a vote of 5 to 3 on the basis it was found to need repairs and massive expense to maintain it. If it could be sold, the proceeds would be used to purchase the vacant hydro building on Eagle Street for the parks/recreation equipment, upgrade the works department facilities at the Timothy Street yard and help pay for the new firehall. The councillors who opposed the sale maintained it should be retained for possible future use. A motion to hold a public meeting to resolve the dispute was defeated 5 to 2.
Throughout 1997, the Mulock building was on the market with 2.2 acres retained along the riverside for park area. When few offers to purchase came forward to meet the asking price of $2 million, Mayor Cole asked staff to assess the office and storage requirements for the next five years and negotiate with the Tannery landlord for additional floor space.
In the meantime, the population had grown to more than 68,000, with no sign of abatement. A new Council was elected in 1997 for a three-year term with Tom Taylor as mayor. The specter of staff accommodation again haunted Council. Still a tenant at the Tannery, the Town made a survey of space requirements and although the landlord offered to provide more space, it was still on the upper floor. The inconvenience to both public and staff was a source of discontent. This was aggravated in 1999 when the elevator was out of service for more than a month. Also, the available parking space was limited and access to and from Davis was hazardous.
When it was decided to seriously consider adapting the town-owned property for a municipal office and move to Mulock Drive, preliminary estimates were made. The potential expenditure was protested by the Newmarket Ratepayers Association with a fever of discontent developing and derogatory letters started to appear in the press.
In February 1998, a task force comprised of the mayor and two councillors, Dave Kerwin and Bob Scott, reviewed the options of continued accommodation in the Tannery, renovating the Mulock site or constructing a new building. The report, completed in May, recommended moving to 395 Mulock. At this point it was a “done deal” and officially sanctioned at a council meeting June 15, 1998 by a vote of 5 to 3. All it needed was implementation.
The pro votes were by Taylor, councillors Kerwin, Scott, Ray Snow, Parks and the opposed votes were by Councillors Dean Burton, Diane Springstein and Regional Councillor Diane Humeniuk. Councillor Peter Hall was undecided. This status remained steadfastly constant throughout the proceedings. In August, architect Reginald P. Belanger was appointed to design and supervise the project. On Nov.2, 1998, Council approved $4.8 million and a call for tenders. On Feb.15, 1999, tenders were received along with the architectural reports and Council authorized an increase of $600,000 to the budget of $5.35 million for the complete renovation. The contract was awarded to the lowest tender, Maystar General Contractors, with work to commence on March 15, 1999.
Reality came into sharp focus with the visibility of the renovations in progress and caused the ratepayers to gather momentum even though there had been information announced of council’s intention to relocate the municipal offices.
At the council meeting of April 5, the ratepayers association and Newmarket Chamber of Commerce called for a stop work order. Further, a derogatory letter from the ratepayers was read at a council on April 19 with accusations of sleight of hand and a demand for a public meeting with an unbiased moderator. It was agreed a public meeting would be held April 27 but with the Town CAO as moderator.
The old Town Hall on Botsford Street was packed to capacity with the mayor and all councillors present accompanied by the town solicitor, directors of operations, finance and recreation. The audience demanded construction be suspended, while the CAO, as moderator, was able to keep a reasonable amount of decorum despite several unruly outbursts. Pointed questions were proposed to councillors Parks, Snow, and Scott for their reasons in support of the move. Hall was non-committal. Burton, Springstein and Humeniuk presented their defence for staying at the Tannery. Mayor Taylor promised to delay construction until an assessment could be made of the cost penalties involved with contract cancellation and to report the facts at the next scheduled council meeting.
At the council meeting May 3, 1999, the cost of the contract cancellation was withheld as confidential until a vote was held. In the first order of business, Councillor Springstein made a motion to suspend action at the Mulock site and retain the offices in the Tannery with extended facilities promised and provided by the landlord. The motion was not seconded and therefore was lost. The penalty estimate for contract cancellation was revealed to be $2.4 million
At the council meeting of June 7, Springstein, chair of the finance committee, presented a comprehensive report of the municipal financial projection, which indicated a tax increase of 3.76 per cent for the fiscal year of 1999 with a budget of $41.5 million. Concurrently, she made a motion supported by Humeniuk to appoint an independent auditor to assess costs versus estimates and issue periodic statements on the progress of the intended move of the municipal offices to 395 Mulock. This was in response to a scathing published critique by the ratepayers association that implied non-confidence in Council’s handling of the relocation program.
Councillors Snow, Parks and Kerwin voiced strong disapproval of the motion with no comment from Hall. Burton and Scott were absent. The motion was defeated by a vote of 4 to 2.
The sub-lease proviso of the Tannery Mall was enacted Oct. 4, 1999 when Council sublet 25,000 square feet to the Ontario Ministry of Health with an option for an additional 5,370 square feet at a rate of $6.22 per square feet, with the Province paying the base operating costs for a term of five years beginning Dec.1, 1999. The town was still stuck with the original cost of $7.50 per square feet for another 13- ½ years.
The finances became a subject of considerable controversy by the Newmarket Ratepayers Association, but Mayor Taylor gave assurance that a savings of $432,000 would be achieved over a 10-year period. The projected costs for the new offices on Mulock were $1.1 million for the land and factory site and $5.35 million for renovations — a total of $6.45 million. The redesigned building encloses 72,000 square feet with 48,000 square feet used for current offices and expansion, 6,000 square feet was leased to Rogers Cable and the remaining 18,000 square feet was retained for storage and random use.
The move to Mulock was made and the Town opened for business there Nov. 21, 1999. Despite all the controversy, staff readily adapted to the new environment that provided spacious accommodation for all town departments and facilities, including council chambers and a public gallery and corridor access. The greatest advantage being that it was all on the same level and with an adequate parking area for both staff and public.
The Town received an offer of $1.25 million for the Office Specialty building from a firm named 534 Timothy Investment and Trust, with 12 acres to be retained by the Town for use as part of the Holland River Development Project and $250,000 set aside for that purpose. The revenue from the sale was to mitigate the cost of the new municipal offices on Mulock.
In October 1999, an aspiring sculptor in Holland Landing created an enormous cast bronze orb, 11-foot high and weighing 1,000 lbs, which was offered to the town as an art object, which Council accepted it on a loan basis and paid only for its transportation to the site. Maystar Construction Ltd. provided a concrete base for free and in March 2000 it was set in place adjacent to the west side of the offices.
On Jan. 10, 2000, the first public forum was held, hosted by the Mayor, Council and staff, for a tour of the new facilities by the citizens. This was followed again on Feb. 7 and March 7. A temporary exhibit of paintings and other art works were on display in the main foyer.
On July 26, 2000, the ratepayers association again published a blast of vehement criticism in the press against Council. In the final analysis, this was defused by the positive action in relocating the municipal offices.
Looking back, relocation of the municipal offices to 395 Mulock was a pragmatic move to provide the necessary requirements for additional office space to 48,000 square feet with potential expansion, ground level access and adequate parking area. Although expensive, the move proved to be sensible, practical and appropriate with changing times and conditions. Entering the millennium, it shed the previous inadequate accommodation in the Davis Tannery.
I welcome your feedback and remembrances on this or any of our topics.
The facts and figures in this piece have been taken from local papers and council reports over the years. I am in debt to George Luesby who compiled many of the documents used in this article and to my mentors who have provided much of the early background to Newmarket’s town facilities.
