A candidate running for a seat on city and county council in Sarnia plans to reinvigorate the idea of relocating city hall to the former SCITS building.
Mike Stark said if he's elected on October 22, he will ask that staff investigate the feasibility of doing so.
The idea was first introduced by Bob McCarthy, a local educator and historian, earlier this year.
Stark, a former city alderman and reeve of the town of Clearwater, said selling the current city hall property could help revitalize Sarnia's downtown.
"It seems to me that this particular property could easily be developed into prime real estate development which would increase the amount of residential concentration and activity within the downtown area," he said. "At the same time, preserving a historic building, [SCITS], with a specific use for a new city hall."
The SCITS building, now Great Lakes Secondary School, opened its doors in 1922. The school is set to close next year with students moving to the former St. Clair Secondary School site.
Stark said it's important for the city to retain the historic building for ownership in the public domain.
He said he's not concerned with how the city would pay for it, and that there's a built-in synergy between the two projects.
"The revenue that would be generated from the sale of the existing city hall, as well as the parking lot to the west, would generate certainly significant funds as it relates to the potential redevelopment of the SCITS property," said Stark.
The Wellington St. property could also include a theatre, civic museum, swimming pool, and offices.
