NORTH BATTLEFORD - For the first time in over three years, council meetings are returning to North Battleford City Hall.
The City of North Battleford has confirmed that City Council and Planning Committee meetings will now be temporarily held in the former council chambers on the upper floor at North Battleford City Hall on 101st Street.
The Tuesday, Oct. 10 meeting held at the new Council Chambers at Room 107 of Don Ross Centre is the last at that location for now, as renovations now start at that location to turn it into a permanent and accessible location for council meetings.
The first meeting back at the old City Hall council chambers will be the Planning Committee meeting next Monday Oct. 16, followed by the regular council meeting on Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., the regular time. The meetings are open to the public to attend live, and a Zoom stream will still be available. However, there is limited access for those with mobility issues.
The last time council held a full meeting in the old City Hall chambers was in March 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. From that point on during the pandemic, council held meetings either virtually on Zoom, or in person or in a "hybrid" format using larger venues such as the Chapel Gallery or, briefly, the Dekker Centre. Don Ross Centre finally became the new home for council meetings in April, 2022.
The multi-phase renovation of the space at Don Ross Centre to become a permanent council chamber was approved last year. According to the city's news release, the latest renovations will include construction and installation of a new City Council bench and administrative tables, some lighting improvements, new doors and a dropped-tile ceiling, technology improvements to the audio and video, and sound-absorbing panelling on the walls.
The city states that the design RFP had gone to North Node Architecture in 2022, while the construction tender was awarded to LVSchell Construction Management Services Ltd.
It is expected the renovations will take place into early 2024. The City of North Battleford says it will provide a progress update nearer to completion for when meetings will revert back to the permanent Don Ross Centre location.
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