Old gal planning to wear white downtown after Labour Day

Workers have started stripping the old brown cladding from Sault Ste. Marie's Civic Centre in preparation for a $6.9 million facelift.

The 43-year-old grande dame of the waterfront will be fitted with bright new exterior panels by Cy Rheault Construction Ltd. of Timmins, which previously built Francis H. Clergue French Immersion Public School and Algoma University's biosciences and technology convergence centre.

City Hall's original brown-and-gold cladding is no longer manufactured and City Council settled last year on white as the building's new exterior colour.

Tessa Pino, the city's corporate communications officer, tells SooToday that the project is on schedule for completion by the end of next year but Rheault has not yet ordered the new white cladding.

"The final material order is dependent on the specific sizing of certain windows, so it's hard to pinpoint the exact schedule," Pino said.

"Right now, they're poking around at all the windows to get some specific sizing and material requirements. Once that's determined, the final material order can be placed. Once that final material order is placed, then we'll have a better idea of a more accurate schedule," Pino said.

The first white panels aren't expected to be placed on the structure until this fall or winter.

Mayor Christian Provenzano stresses that the renovation project is necessary for health and safety issues and isn't being undertaken for aesthetic reasons.

City officials want the the cladding and glazing replaced because of corrosion, seal failures and air and water barrier deficiencies.

Rainwater poured through the east walls by the bucket on Dec. 4, 2017 as councillors approved their 2018 municipal budget.

The construction is being funded using long-term debt and is not expected to increase the municipal tax levy.