Timmins transit terminal to get $1.4M renovation

The interior of Timmins Transit’s Spruce Street South terminal is overdue for an upgrade, according to city officials.

First built more than a century ago as an Ontario National Railway station, public works manager Ken Krcel said the city hadn’t done any major renovations since purchasing the building in 2010.

He said several areas need improving and that it will be a more than $1.4 million project.

“It includes reclining the walls, new plumbing, new heating and any asbestos remediation that (workers) may come across,” Krcel said.

The terminal’s office space is limited, which the city feels can be fixed by adjusting the building’s layout and converting some storage rooms into offices.

Krcel also noted a safety issue with the terminal’s public washrooms. Their antiquated doors lock from the inside, which he said has lent itself to vandalism and mischief.

“People have gone in, locked themselves in there and basically vandalized the washrooms, wrecked them and left them in a state that the next person from the public going in, it’s unusable and they’re unsafe,” Krcel said.

“They’ll be designed without physical doors, just the bathroom stall doors. A series of corridors that would prevent us from losing access to the washrooms at any time.”

He said the renovations won’t affect the exterior of the building, which has largely remained in its original condition, with signs of expansions before the city took it over.

The chair of the municipal heritage committee, Nicola Alexander, said the terminal stands out as a reminder of the city’s past, when rail was the only way in and out of the area.

“Some of the heritage features of this building are the original face brick, these beautiful brackets that are holding up the eaves,” Alexander said.

“You can still see the original foundation stone, with the carving commemorating the opening of this building in 1916.”

The interior renovations will be paid for with funding from the Investing in Canadian Infrastructure Program and has tax funding from Queen’s Park and Ottawa.

Krcel said the cost of the renovations is in part due to the amount of work needed in a commercial building, as well as generally inflated construction costs.

“We’ve noticed price increases on everything we do,” he said.

WORK TO BEGIN THIS WINTER

The work is expected to begin over the winter, with no impact to transit service.

Office staff to be moved into a temporary facility until it’s complete.The interior of Timmins Transit’s Spruce Street South terminal is overdue for an upgrade, according to city officials.

First built more than a century ago as an Ontario National Railway station, public works manager Ken Krcel said the city hadn’t done any major renovations since purchasing the building in 2010.

He said several areas need improving and that it will be a more than $1.4 million project.

“It includes reclining the walls, new plumbing, new heating and any asbestos remediation that (workers) may come across,” Krcel said.

The terminal’s office space is limited, which the city feels can be fixed by adjusting the building’s layout and converting some storage rooms into offices.

Krcel also noted a safety issue with the terminal’s public washrooms. Their antiquated doors lock from the inside, which he said has lent itself to vandalism and mischief.

BATHROOMS VANDALIZED

“People have gone in, locked themselves in there and basically vandalized the washrooms, wrecked them and left them in a state that the next person from the public going in, it’s unusable and they’re unsafe,” Krcel said.

“They’ll be designed without physical doors, just the bathroom stall doors. A series of corridors that would prevent us from losing access to the washrooms at any time.”

He said the renovations won’t affect the exterior of the building, which has largely remained in its original condition, with signs of expansions before the city took it over.

The chair of the municipal heritage committee, Nicola Alexander, said the terminal stands out as a reminder of the city’s past, when rail was the only way in and out of the area.

“Some of the heritage features of this building are the original face brick, these beautiful brackets that are holding up the eaves,” Alexander said.

“You can still see the original foundation stone, with the carving commemorating the opening of this building in 1916.”

The interior renovations will be paid for with funding from the Investing in Canadian Infrastructure Program and has tax funding from Queen’s Park and Ottawa.

Krcel said the cost of the renovations is in part due to the amount of work needed in a commercial building, as well as generally inflated construction costs.

“We’ve noticed price increases on everything we do,” he said.

The work is expected to begin over the winter, with no impact to transit service.

Office staff to be moved into a temporary facility until it’s complete.