Despite a request from council member Pete Luciani, the Tillsonburg council has decided to hold off on selecting a location for the new town hall and council chambers.
Sep 09, 2025 • Last updated Sep 09, 2025 •
The Town of Tillsonburg property at 10 Lisgar Avenue. File
The Tillsonburg council will postpone choosing a spot for the community’s new town hall and council chambers despite a strong appeal from member Pete Luciani.
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Luciani urged his fellow councillors to make a decision during Monday’s meeting while supporting the idea of placing a new building at the “greyfield” site located at the intersection of Brock Street East and Harvey St.
Previous cost estimates for constructing the new building ranged from $5 million to $9 million, with some funds expected to come from selling another potential site at 10 Lisgar Ave. In the meantime, council has been holding meetings at the Long Point Regional Conservation Office on Elm St.
“So far, Harvey and Brock has been favored by both town hall steering committees as well as in recent reports from council,” Luciani stated.
“This location offers visibility, easy access, and supports investment in our downtown area. Is it perfect? No …. (but) time is money, and construction costs would’ve been lower if we had acted sooner. Future expenses are only going to increase if we wait.”
Luciani added that the council’s “lack of focused decisions has hurt employee morale, allowed expenses to keep rising, and importantly, failed to create efficiencies that we hoped for with our new town hall plans.”
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Councillors who opposed the motion pointed out that earlier investigations found some contamination issues with that site.“I have major concerns about the site remediation that’s needed in that area, and not knowing the costs of that, I can’t support (the motion),” said Councillor Chris Parker.
“I know we have an estimate, but we won’t truly know until we put that backhoe in the ground and dig,” Mayor Deb Gilvesy said regarding a reported cleanup cost evaluation of $245,000. “Regardless of whatever is built on that property, ensuring staff safety is our top priority.” The current setup sees town staff divided among three different locations. A new town hall aims to bring them all together under one roof. Renovating the building at 10 Lisgar Ave could accommodate more employees along with a new council chamber; however estimates for those renovations are around $10 million. “I don’t think the town needs anything flashy,” remarked Gilvesy..... This has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A report is expected back to council in November with more details about this project first discussed in 2015. “The greyfield site presents us with our lowest estimate; it’s beneficial for taxpayers since it’s downtown … plus it would save us money down the road,” stated Councillor Kelly Spencer. “This has cost taxpayers an unimaginable amount.. without any progress.” Spencer voted alongside Luciani and Bob Parsons in favor of the motion while opposing votes came from Gilvesy,
Deputy Mayor David Beres,
and Councillors Chris Parker and Chris Rosehart. “Right now we’re just going around in circles,” noted Luciani. “This is my second term on council; this will be third councils dealing with this issue! I’m worried there might be a fourth before it’s resolved.. We’ve waited ten years already; settling for less than what’s best doesn’t make sense now.” The next set of councillors will be elected in fall 2026. Share this article in your social network Source link
“I know we have an estimate, but we won’t truly know until we put that backhoe in the ground and dig,” Mayor Deb Gilvesy said regarding a reported cleanup cost evaluation of $245,000. “Regardless of whatever is built on that property, ensuring staff safety is our top priority.” The current setup sees town staff divided among three different locations. A new town hall aims to bring them all together under one roof. Renovating the building at 10 Lisgar Ave could accommodate more employees along with a new council chamber; however estimates for those renovations are around $10 million. “I don’t think the town needs anything flashy,” remarked Gilvesy..... This has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A report is expected back to council in November with more details about this project first discussed in 2015. “The greyfield site presents us with our lowest estimate; it’s beneficial for taxpayers since it’s downtown … plus it would save us money down the road,” stated Councillor Kelly Spencer. “This has cost taxpayers an unimaginable amount.. without any progress.” Spencer voted alongside Luciani and Bob Parsons in favor of the motion while opposing votes came from Gilvesy,
Deputy Mayor David Beres,
and Councillors Chris Parker and Chris Rosehart. “Right now we’re just going around in circles,” noted Luciani. “This is my second term on council; this will be third councils dealing with this issue! I’m worried there might be a fourth before it’s resolved.. We’ve waited ten years already; settling for less than what’s best doesn’t make sense now.” The next set of councillors will be elected in fall 2026. Share this article in your social network Source link
