Whitehorse plans major city hall renovation

It would amount to a major change to the streetscapeon Whitehorse's busy Second Avenue.

City officials unveiled aplan on Wednesday for major renovations to Whitehorse city hall. The project would involve tearing down the old fire hall and original city hall building, both of which date back to the 1960s.

"There's lots of things that need to be upgraded to bring the building to code," said city property manager Peter O'Blenes.

"1966 building materials containeda lot of nasties, for lack of better words.Asbestos is all through thisportion of the building. It's contained, but it does exist on pipes and things like that."

An addition to city hallbuilt in 1987would remain, but would be renovated.

The new city hall building would include more room for city staff who work out of a dank basement in the current city hall building or who are scattered around the city in leased office space.

"All you have to do is go downstairs and we're bursting at the seams here," said city engineer Wayne Tuck.

"Themayor's office is full of officesand we've got people in the basement. They shouldn't be in the basement."

New public space, transit hub

The city hall project would also mean major changes to the block of Steele Street between Second Avenue and Front Street. A new public space in front of new main entrance could be used for events, Tuck said.

It would also be the new home of the cenotaph, which would move from its current location on Second Avenue, which doesn't offer much room for Remembrance Day ceremonies. The north end of the block on Second Avenue would include a transit hub with washrooms and an indoor waiting area.

O'Blenes said the new city hall building will be heated with biomassand its roof designed to accommodate solar panels in the future.

It will also allow the city to finally decommission the municipal services building on Fourth Avenue.

"We got it in 1982 and it was already 50 years old then," O'Blenes said. "We've added on to it and we've basically outgrownit."

He added the Fourth Avenue lot could require environmental remediation, but could also be worth millions, though the city has yet to decide what to do with it.

Officials say the project will cost around $25 million and stressed that's based on the new, higher cost of construction materials. Two-thirds of the money is coming from the federal and territorial governments, with the city covering the rest.

Construction would begin in early 2022 and finish by early 2024.The project still requires a budget amendment from council. First reading of the amendment is scheduled for June 7.