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Victoriaville future remains uncertain

Decision on whether to demolish nearly 40-year-old mall likely at least one year away.
vicville
(tbnewswatch file photograph)

THUNDER BAY – The final decision on the long-term future of the Victoriaville Centre is still likely at least one year away.

The looming question about whether the south side plaza will soon meet a wrecking ball was briefly revisited Tuesday night at Thunder Bay city council’s budget review meeting, where they were presented with a more than 20 per cent increase in funding to operate the facility along with $90,000 in proposed capital projects.

Multiple councillors questioned whether putting money into Victoriaville was worthwhile given the centre’s uncertain future.

“We are, I would guess, at least one year away from making a decision with respect to the future of Victoriaville,” said Mark Smith, the city’s manager of development and emergency services. “There’s considerable process between where we are and where we need to be to make that kind of decision.”

Smith said a determination of whether an environment assessment needs to be conducted is among the factors that need to be ironed out before a recommendation can be made on the building’s future.

City officials have previously said Victoriaville has run at a deficit of more than $11 million since it opened in 1980. Last year the facility is projected to be in the red by about $100,000, largely as a result of projected revenue coming in at $70,000 less than expected.

Their 2018 budget is seeking $462,000 in city funding – an increase of 21.7 per cent from the previous year – despite expenses forecasted to rise by less than one per cent.

But the vacancies and underutilization that have caused deficits will only compound in the meantime if council openly speculates about doing away with Victoriaville before making a decision, Coun. Joe Virdiramo argued.

“It’s just going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Virdiramo said.

“You have to do certain things to your facilities to keep them running. There were five eating establishments in Victoriaville. Now there are two or three. That’s because we keep saying we’re going to tear it down. Who’s going to go there?”

City officials last year said Victoriaville would require $8.6 million – including $4.4 million in capital repairs – to continue operating over the next decade and estimates have pegged the cost of demolishing the building at $9 million.

Coun. Shelby Ch’ng said maintaining Victoriaville is the best the city can do right now.

“Even if we decided today we were going to tear it down, we do not have the $10 million,” Ch’ng said. “We have an arm’s length list of top priorities that trumps tearing something down. As much as I think the conversation around Victoriaville mall needs to change, because it isn’t serving the purpose it was intended to be built for, I do think we need to maintain it.”

The $90,000 in capital spending proposed this year includes $40,000 in lighting upgrades, $30,000 for exterior renovations and $20,000 for HVAC replacement.

Property manager Alex Mirabellli said the lighting improvements would generate up to $9,500 in annual savings, with the upgrades paying for themselves in less than four years.



About the Author: Matt Vis

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