Innisfil Hydro buys Old Town Hall site

By Chris Simon Innisfil Scope July 27 2012

The Old Town Hall is in new hands.  And as a result, its days are now numbered. Council has agreed to sell 3.5 acres of land at 2147 Innisfil Beach Road, a stretch of property that includes the former town hall, to Innisfil Hydro for $650,000. The agreement, which was approved at a council meeting earlier this month, will also include the town’s purchase of nearly 1.1 acres of Innisfil Hydro’s land, located at 2061 Commerce Park Drive, for $500,000.

As part of the agreement, the municipality will also lease five indoor vehicle bays at the Old Town Hall property, once Innisfil Hydro constructs a new administration facility on the site. That new building will include a medical centre, and rental and business space, said town clerk Jason Reynar, in a report to council.

“Although discussions took place with Innisfil Hydro about renovating and occupying the Old Town Hall building for their expanded administrative offices, the renovation cost was prohibitive,” he said.

“The building will be demolished by Hydro, and it will then construct a new facility. The Hydro plans, which have been approved by its board, also include an enlarged garage area that the town would lease in order to shelter Roads Services (Department) equipment currently stored outside, until plans and land acquisitions are finalized and construction of the sand and salt dome, and operation (facility), are complete. There will also be a fenced storage area to the south of the building, for hydro equipment and possible South Simcoe Police storage units.”

The demolition of the Old Town Hall will likely take place this summer, while a groundbreaking for the new facility has been tentatively scheduled for the fall.

The Commerce Park purchase is scheduled to close in February 2014, with the property then being used to construct Phase 1 of a new Innisfil Heights reservoir.

Until that time, the town will enter into a no-cost licencing agreement with Innisfil Hydro, to help prepare the land for the reservoir construction.

“The existing Innisfil Heights reservoir does not have sufficient capacity for the continued development of the existing Innisfil Heights employment lands,” said Reynar. “The size of the reservoir would need to be significantly larger to meet the future growth potential of the employment lands, and it would also service the proposed (6th Line) campus node. A new alternate location was presented in 2011, and approved for construction.”