New Windsor City Hall set to open next week

CTV Windsor: New city hall A look inside Windsor's new city hall, which is set to open next week. Rich Garton has the story.

After years of planning and construction, Windsor’s new city hall opens for business next week.

The new building at 350 City Hall Square West is scheduled to open on May 22 at noon.

In Pictures: Here's a sneak peek inside the new city hall.

It is located immediately south of the current building, so the street address will not be changing, but the floor on which services are found in the new building might.

The new layout is designed with the customer in mind: the first and second floors will be able to deal with the majority of interactions, thereby shortening wait times and travel distance.

"It's not an iconic, but definitely a durable, efficient very nice aesthetically speaking new building," says project administrator Wadah Al-Yassiri. “We still managed, and as promised, to come on time and on budget."

The new city hall costs $30 million, with the overall price tag at $44 million. That includes the demolition of the soon-to-be old city hall. The 60-year-old building could come down as soon as this summer. The plans also call for the reconstruction of the civic esplanade connecting the city to the riverfront.

“We didn't blow the bank on doing this,” says mayor Drew Dilkens. “In fact, this building is completely paid for and what we really wanted to provide, a modern functional office space."

The new council chambers will seat 180 people, with better acoustics and better accessibility features.

The open main floor also has a reception desk and a number of service kiosks. The building and planning departments are now located on the second floor to offer a one-stop-shop for developers.

In an effort to make the transition as seamless as possible, movers will be working throughout the May long weekend, transferring equipment and materials to the new building.

The move will begin with the close of regular business hours at 4:30 p.m. on May 18 and be complete by 8:30 a.m. on May 22. The public opening is planned for noon in order for staff to quickly get prepared for residents’ business needs.

Neither the old nor the new city hall will be open between 8:30 a.m. and noon on May 22, with the exception of the city clerk’s office on the 2nd floor of Old City Hall, which will be open to candidates for the purpose of filing their nomination paper with the City Clerk for the 2018 Municipal Election.

For regular City Hall users, between now and the opening on May 22, please look for written material specific to your area of need at the department you deal with, or speak with our reception staff if you have any questions.

An official public grand opening and tour will follow on Saturday, May 26, as part of the City of Windsor Birthday Celebration.

The birthday celebration in 2018 marks the 126th anniversary of incorporation for the City of Windsor. Traditionally celebrated on the long weekend in May, the festivities are changing date and location this year to coincide with the grand opening of the new city hall.