Perth South is looking to rent out the old town hall in St. Pauls.
CAO and Deputy Clerk Fred Tranquilli says the property isn't for sale, but they're looking into renting out the space that is currently not in use.
"That space was the former town hall for the municipality and township, and it recently underwent a renovation to update systems and make it accessibility compliant. So the space is not needed for the municipal operations, and council is interested in the potential of putting a tenant into that space," Tranquilli explained.
Tranquilli says they have already had some interest.
"There has been some interest. The space is comprised of two offices, a good sized boardroom, accessible washrooms, and so there has been some interest in some office use and that's probably what is the most suitable for that space. It has parking, it's in a good location and so it will probably continue to be used as some sort of office space by the private sector," noted Tranquilli.
Council has also directed staff to obtain quotes for design work to improve space in the current municipal building in St. Pauls.
"We don't have a meeting room, for example, aside from the council chamber so there tends to be a conflict of use because the municipal council meets in that room and there's some offices off of that which makes using it as a meeting space when it's not council day a conflict and a bit of a challenge to serve the public," Tranquilli said.
Tranquilli says the space in the building needs to be allocated more efficiently. He adds they've retained an interior designer, with a budget set aside for roughly $1,500 to $3,000. He adds any redesign that is done won't be extensive or very costly.
