Calgary’s city buildings in poor shape; heading for refurbishments

A report to the City of Calgary Council has found that many of the city’s buildings are in poor condition and will need $350 million in repairs over the next 10 years.

The Corporate Services Department Report to the Land and Asset Strategy Committee was delivered on September 11.

The report noted that not only were facilities deteriorating at an accelerated rate, there is “no ongoing, annual funding program dedicated to the accommodation portfolio for maintenance and lifecycle.”

Of 140 buildings assessed for the report, 70 were classified as “fair-poor.” Many of these are storage, vehicle and operational office buildings.

Local media and council are upset that the city has no regular budget item allocated for ongoing lifecycle maintenance of its buildings, and the report itself pointed out that there were potential health and safety risks, not to mention risks to business continuity, if improvements to the building stock and funding model were not made.

The report recommended drawing up a plan for each asset and building. It also recommended the “implementation of a funding model that will provide sustainable predicable capital funds for building lifecycle maintenance reinvestment.”