City hall grows and grows

By John MoorhouseFriday, June 22, 2007 http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?id=50224

It’s a vicious circle. As the building boom in Penticton continues, so too grows the need for services. As the city adds more staff to meet that demand, it finds itself running out of elbow room at City Hall. City council has agreed to spend more than $20,000 on a facility needs assessment of City Hall. A team led by Bevanda Architecture will look into current building conditions and determine the short and long-term space requirements for a growing city workforce. A final report, complete with preliminary cost estimates, is expected to be completed by the fall. Mayor Jake Kimberley said the city’s engineering department in particular, is swamped with work. However, there’s little room for more staff in the already-crowded second floor. "It was recommended that we not just do something piecemeal, we should look at the long-term needs of City Hall and its staff," he said. "We’re not talking about making any change immediately, we’re talking about what the requirement is going to be 5-10 years from now."

John Kirbyson, the city’s director of parks, recreation and culture, noted in a report to council that Penticton’s population -- and the number of civic employees -- have grown substantially since City Hall was built in 1966. "Today, the building is virtually unchanged and as a result is very overcrowded," he said. "Limited space has created congestion for the public and cramped working conditions for staff, which makes it difficult to serve the public effectively." The number of full-time employees working at City Hall has risen from 59 in April 2004 to 69 in April of this year. That does not include part-time or seasonal workers hired for the summer. The overall city payroll has climbed from $15.3 million in 2004 to $17 million in 2006. The bulk of the increase occurred in 2004-05 when a contract settlement with the firefighters union included three years of retro-active pay, and when much of a city senior management reorganization came into effect. A new treasurer, deputy clerk and director of special projects have been hired over the past year. A new planning department supervisor position is also being created. Kimberley said the situation is exacerbated by an increase in staff turnover. "We have almost as many employees leaving and retiring as what we’re trying to acquire to fill those spaces," he said.

Much of the parks and recreation department has already been moved into the former chamber of commerce offices on Westminster Avenue. Kimberley said it’s doubtful more departments will also be transferred since that would make it more disjointed for developers and others who utilize second floor services at City Hall. City Hall was recently identified as one of the top five city facilities needing an evaluation study. The current building is engineered to accommodate a third floor, if necessary. City administrator Leo den Boer said if the evaluation team deems there is a need for a larger City Hall, that could open up other options in the years ahead. He pointed to the possibility of combining a new City Hall and Library-Museum complex, or having them as standalone facilities. Coun. Dan Ashton urged that a partnership with other levels of government and the private sector not be overlooked.