The magnificent edifice at the corner of Talbot and Mary Streets, formally known as the Mickleborough building, has had a bit of an uncertain future over the past three years.
It was the former home of Ontario Works before the city purchased it from London developer Shmuel Farhi in March of 2017.
It dates back to the early 1900s and was designed by St. Thomas architect Neil Darrach. Its appraised value at the time of the sale was $4 million.
Under the deal, Farhi Holdings was to donate $2.3 million in exchange for a tax receipt and the city would pay the remaining $1.7 million.
The intent at the time was to partner with the Central Community Health Centre in hopes of consolidating their operations into the structure that once housed the British mainstay Marks and Spencer in the 1970s and Huston’s Fine Furniture into the 1990s.
Added to its functions this year was transforming a portion of the stately building to serve as a day shelter for the homeless.
A far cry from the home of fine furniture.
Tag Archives: Shmuel Farhi
Maintain that coronavirus regimen and help support STEGH this fall and winter
Earlier this spring, we referred to them as the other victims of the coronavirus. Those individuals whose lives had been put on hold as their elective surgeries and procedures were postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that time, the province released details of the framework to be adhered to by hospitals as they prepared to tackle the backlog of surgeries.
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital president and CEO Robert Biron said there was a backlog of well over 1,000 surgeries staff would have to deal with.
Moving forward, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal at the end of August suggested clearing the backlog across the province could take 84 weeks.
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From ‘beyond broken’ to a transit system St. Thomas can be proud of
Transit was a prominent talking point leading up to last year’s municipal vote and now, thanks to provincial funding, city residents may soon be standing at a bus stop of “a transit system we can all be proud of.”
At an announcement Thursday (Aug. 8) in front of city hall, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek indicated the provincial government is committing $1.8 million for transit projects in St. Thomas.
The money will be used for fleet upgrades – including the purchase of 10 new buses with an additional four vehicles for future expansion – and transit technology, including priority signalling for buses at designated intersections.
In addition, the transit projects are being nominated for federal funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), a $30 billion, 10-year infrastructure initiative cost-shared between federal, provincial and municipal governments.
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Bob McCaig: Remembering a cautionary tale, that pre-election poll and a generous soul
He continually courted controversy, was synonymous with waste management and his legacy adorns the front of the Great Expansion at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
St. Thomas developer – and author of 2012’s cautionary tale Madame McGuinty’s Teflon Academy – Bob McCaig died this past Wednesday (June 5) at the age of 79.
The former Elgin county school board trustee was not only a frequent contributor to City Scope, but he was also the focus of numerous items in this corner. Inclusion of the McCaig name could be counted upon to generate a considerable response, both pro and con.
His was a black and white canvas, there was no gray on Bob’s palette.
Love him or loathe him, there is no denying – at heart – he was a prolific community booster.
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Talbot Street West renaissance to ramp up this year
Up until this past Monday (Jan. 22), the city’s ambitious proposal to develop “a social services and housing campus” on a large tract of land purchased last year from London developer Shmuel Farhi has been little more than vague concepts outlined in several reports and updates.
That all changed in stunning fashion at this week’s reference committee meeting where a rendition of Phase 1 of the project at 230 Talbot Street was presented to council and staff.
“The architect provided council with a high-level overview of the design concepts for the project,” explained city manager Wendell Graves.
“This week we are requesting proposals for contractors to pre-qualify them (for tendering).
The hub will be developed in three stages over several years, anchored by a new home for Ontario Works, which is currently leasing space in the Mickleborough building at 423 Talbot Street, the second property purchased by the city from Farhi in the same transaction.
The city paid $1.4 million for the parcel of land on the south side of Talbot St., between William and Queen streets, and extending down to Centre Street. The property includes three houses on Queen Street.
Farhi Holdings is donating $400,000 back to the city as part of the deal.
“A goal we have at this point in time is by April 16th, we would be in a position to actually award a tender for the project,” explained Graves, who added the building will occupy the north end of the property abutting Talbot Street.
“That would be the social services building with two floors of affordable housing, 28 units.”
In the 2018 city budget, $11.3 million has been included for 15,000 square feet of office space and the affordable housing units.
To help finance the project, city council approved Graves’ recommendation to “sell vacant free-standing homes within the affordable housing program and the transfer of the sale proceeds to the development of new housing stock” at 230 Talbot Street.
The homes to be sold would come from the supply of 75 single-family homes on Simcoe and Dunkirk streets. Graves anticipates 12 to 14 of these units would become available over the next two years.
Three Queen Street residences are slated for demolition, according to city manager Wendell Graves.
Site remediation of the Talbot Street property is expected to cost between $400,000 and $600,000 and the tendering process is underway.
Cleanup of the property “will start as soon as we can firm that up,” noted Graves. “We need to get the site cleaned up prior to the contractor being on site.”
The plan is to clean the bulk of the site and not just the area needed for Phase 1.
“It seems prudent to get the whole thing done,” advised Graves.
As for the trio of houses on Queen Street, demolition is expected to proceed this spring.
Related posts:
West end of Talbot street to be site of social services and housing campus
Answers needed on dealing with Ascent long-term debt
GIMME SHELTER
No one would deny the city’s Burwell Road animal shelter is hopelessly inadequate and has been that way for years.
The cramped, uninviting facility was scheduled to be renovated this year but that was put on hold because the lowest tender bid came in $38,000 over the $260,000 budget allocated to the project.
What is needed is a complete rethink on the role of animal services and, to that end, Lois Jackson, chair of the city’s Animal Welfare Select Committee and founder of All-Breed Canine Rescue, organized a Jan. 23 tour of London Animal Care Centre, a for-profit organization operating out of a well-equipped building on Pine Valley Blvd.
Only two members of council – Joan Rymal and Mark Tinlin – took advantage of the invite and they were joined by two members of staff, including bylaw enforcement officer Rob McDonald.
The entourage was rounded out by members of the animal welfare committee.
Coun. Joan Rymal, left, and Lois Jackson at a tour of the London Animal Care Centre
The centre has a five-year contract with the City of London, valued at $2 million per year.
The city provides 40 hours of vet services per week under a separate agreement.
It handles pet bylaw enforcement and licensing of the animals. A crew of bylaw officers aggressively targets dog owners, going so far as to knock on doors to check for compliance.
“Revenue really comes from licences and not adoptions,” stressed director of operations Kent Lattanzio.
Ironing out the kinks and fine-tuning the process has been a 15-year process, explained Lattanzio.
While he wouldn’t go so far as to say it has a no-kill policy, Lattanzio’s target is 90 per cent live release. Any animals euthanized are for “humane reasons.”
By way of comparison, Lattanzio noted many shelters are euthanizing as many as 60 per cent of the cats brought in.
The centre has a capacity of 140 cats and 45 dogs, although the population was far below that on this day.
A Facebook page is utilized strictly for pet adoptions, which Lattanzio stressed is the key to moving animals.
The facility has an effective Meet Your Match program in place to team up those interested in adopting with pets that fit their lifestyle and personality.
It also gives staff a reason to say no to potential adoption situations unlikely to succeed.
Such a program also lowers the stress on animals in a shelter environment.
Councillors Rymal and Tinlin asked a bevy of excellent questions and returned to St. Thomas armed with vital information to hopefully move the animal shelter off the back burner where it has simmered for years.
Optimistically, staff and council will realize the valuable resource they have in Lois Jackson.
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A clearer vision for Alma College property or another dashed dream
Answers needed on dealing with Ascent long-term debt
STEPPING UP THE FIGHT
There are a lot of Dutton Dunwich residents generating plenty of noise about noise.
And, they are attracting a considerable amount of interest, not to mention media attention.
Dutton Dunwich Opponents of Wind Turbines (DDOWT) has filed a judicial review application against the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change alleging provincial regulations limit the amount of noise any resident should have to tolerate from industrial wind turbines.
Modelling is used to establish these limits and the ministry has admitted previous guidelines underestimate the actual noise endured by residents adjacent to wind turbines.
Dutton Dunwich residents at an open house rally in October of 2017.
New regulations have been established, however DDOWT contends the Strong Breeze wind turbine project proposed for the municipality – along with at least four other large-scale undertakings across the province – will be allowed to proceed without adhering to these new regulations.
At a media conference Thursday near Wallaceburg, Bonnie Rowe of DDOWT – with the support of three similar groups in eastern Ontario and Wallaceburg – announced a challenge of the ministry for failure to protect the public from industrial wind turbine noise.
It’s a move not take lightly, stressed Rowe.
“We estimate that these five proposed wind power projects will be out of compliance with noise levels as soon as they go online.”
In the case of the Strong Breeze project in Dutton Dunwich, Rowe asserts “the majority of these proposed turbines, as well as the transformer, will likely produce noise over the ministry maximum allowable levels.”
“The government knows the modelling done by the wind companies is wrong,” adds Eric Gillespie, legal counsel for the group.
“However the government now doesn’t require them to follow the proper process. It’s not surprising people from across Ontario are joining together to vigorously oppose this.”
While not a participant in the application, Dutton Dunwich Mayor Cameron McWilliam and municipal council have long voiced opposition to the project, along with more than 80 per cent of the residents.
Invenergy’s James Murphy, centre, and Dutton Dunwich Mayor Cameron McWilliam, right, at an open house held in March of 2017.
So far, to no avail.
Noise is just one piece of the puzzle, noted McWilliam, “but I still can’t figure out when you have a bigger turbine and you are not even making them follow the guidelines, how that doesn’t lead to more noise or vibration.”
A new concern for McWilliam is the recent collapse of a tower in nearby Chatham-Kent.
More so in light of the fact the proponent of the Dutton Dunwich Strong Breeze project, Invenergy, built the Chatham-Kent tower. Several years ago Invenergy sold the industrial wind farm development to another firm in the field.
“That’s our concern,” stressed McWilliam, “they seem to be more of a design and build company and then sell it as soon as it’s running.
“All these proposals should be shut down until they are able to determine what happened (to the tower). And what’s the mitigation.”
No date for the judicial review – likely to be heard at Osgoode Hall in Toronto – has yet been determined.
Related posts:
Dutton Dunwich wind turbines, we’re not past the point of no return
Wind turbine noise complaints proof province is kowtowing to their corporate buddies
FOR THE CALENDAR
- A public information centre will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Best Western Stoneridge Inn to garner input on improvements to the Highway 401/Col. Talbot Road interchange and realigning and replacement of the existing Glanworth Drive bridge over the 401.
- The 45th annual Honours and Awards banquet will take place at Memorial Auditorium on Thursday April 19, beginning at 6 p.m. The evening recognizes St. Thomas youth, individuals, teams, or groups which enjoyed an impressive achievement in 2017 and deserve civic recognition.
COMING UP
Watch for an interview with Const. Travis Sandham regarding the St. Thomas Police Service’s newly launched Vulnerable Persons Registry.
Questions and comments may be emailed to: City Scope
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No islands in these streams, just a series of HR obstacles
Congratulations are in order to Elizabeth Sebestyen, confirmed this week as the Director of Social Services for St. Thomas and Elgin county.
She has been acting director since 2013 and has worked for the department since 2001.
And why did it take so long to announce the permanent appointment?
Well you won’t get any answers at city hall, because it involved a protracted labour relations tribunal dealing with a wrongful dismissal claim by former director Barbara Arbuckle, hired in 2011.
A conversation a year ago with city manager Wendell Graves revealed the following.
“I can’t say a lot but she’s (Sebestyen) still the acting director and Barbara is still on leave.” Continue reading
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Answers needed on dealing with Ascent long-term debt
With a 322-page agenda plus several deputations and presentations to deal with, members of council won’t be putting the wraps on Monday’s council meeting in 45 minutes or less, as is often the case.
Especially if they do what they are paid to do and represent St. Thomas ratepayers. Forget lobbing softballs and ask the tough questions. Forget the platitudes to staff about a job well done on this report or that. Of course the report is exceptional, that’s the job of staff at city hall and they do it well.
Start probing.
For instance, how about the city’s consolidated financial report for 2016. We’ll point you in the right direction at Page 275. Continue reading
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West end of Talbot Street to be site of ‘social services and housing campus’
The city shone some light this week on its proposal to develop “a social services and housing campus” on a large tract of land recently purchased from London developer Shmuel Farhi.
City manager Wendell Graves updated council at Monday’s reference committee meeting on the development process at 230 Talbot Street which will be undertaken in three stages, anchored by a new home for Ontario Works which is currently leasing space in the Mickleborough building at 423 Talbot Street, the second property purchased by the city from Farhi in the same transaction.
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Neighbourhood blight to be demolished in favour of seniors’ residence
For several years it was a pot-mark on the Wellington Street landscape. The burned-out hulk of the former Ramada Inn proved such an eyesore, Craig Geerlinks and Adam MacLeod across the street at Geerlinks Home Hardware wrote a letter to council in December 2015 pointing out “The building has been abandoned for more than a few years. We are concerned this blight on the neighbourhood, and the city in general, will continue with no end in sight.”They concluded their missive with the fact many customers leave the store “having purchased home improvement materials, those customers look across the street and cannot help but be disheartened that their efforts at improving their properties are offset by derelict and abandoned buildings such as this one . . . Out-of-town visitors attending activities at the Timken Arena and railway museum drive past the remnants of this now abandoned building and must wonder about our community spirit.”
Ian's City Scope 