A new agreement between the district and the Goward House Society promises to give the public greater access to the municipal-owned heritage building but also sees Saanich assume greater financial responsibility.
Council last month approved amendments to the agreement between Saanich and the society that transfer responsibility for major capital projects, maintenance and utilities to the municipality. Saanich in turn may use the facility after regular operating hours for municipal purposes.
This decision came after council had asked staff to investigate ways of aligning Saanich’s arrangement with the Goward House Society with other agreements.
The Goward House Society had requested the review because it needs “additional support” to manage the building.
Located near the University of Victoria, Saanich purchased the heritage landmark home built in 1908 from the prominent Goward family in 1973, turning it over to the Goward House Society.
It offers educational and arts programming for Victoria residents aged 50-plus.
Despite recent improvements, the facility faces a long list of future repairs estimated to cost $170,000 over the next five years, with the replacement of the building’s main cedar shingle roof being the most notable item.
Chief administrative officer Paul Thorkelsson told the public that it makes sense to place capital projects and maintenance under a municipal umbrella.
“From staff’s perspective, the combination of capital and maintenance is very important because they go together for obvious reasons,” he said. “If Saanich is responsible for capital projects [as landlord], we want to make sure they are properly maintained, because they work together.”
But if council approved the revised agreement without any dissent, several councillors pointed to potential issues with it.
Coun. Vicki Sanders wondered why Saanich is paying utilities. While Saanich should be paying for major renovations, landlords generally do not pay for utilities, she said.
Coun. Leif Wergeland agreed. “If I was paying your heating bill, your utilities, what effect would that have on your use?” he asked.
The district would be better off if it could control utility costs, said Wergeland.
While Thorkelsson acknowledged these concerns, he added it is “common” for Saanich to pay the utilities of other facilities that it owns.
Harley Machielse, director of engineering, conceded that it might be a “challenge” for Saanich to conserve energy under the agreement, but noted that the district has the ability to assess use.
Coun. Fred Haynes said it might be difficult to determine who pays how much if Saanich were to increase its use of the facility in endorsing the revised agreement.
Coun. Judy Brownoff meanwhile expressed concern about a “potential domino effect” that could see other organizations come forward with revisions to their agreements.
“So if we are going to take over major repairs to Goward House, I’m wondering if this will also roll over to other facilities [the district rents out to various groups],” said Brownoff.
Thorkelsson said council had specifically asked staff to investigate potential changes to the terms of the agreement to bring it more in line with other arrangements.
“If council is interested in looking at other facilities, we can potentially do that work as well,” he said. “Whether it is a domino effect, I think that is controlled by council.”
If other groups come forward with comparable requests, council can evaluate them as it sees fit, he said.
The new agreement kicks in July 1. While the district has no immediate plans to use the facility, it could be used for programs which are part and parcel of Saanich’s Older Adult Strategy.
