Avon Crest demolition date tentatively set for late spring/early summer

Although the fate of Stratford’s Avon Crest continues to be debated before council, officials say the demolition of the city’s first hospital will likely happen during late spring or early summer of this year.

Delegates debated the building’s future Tuesday night during a council meeting, though no decision was made. In the meantime, the plan to demolish the long-standing building continues.

“We certainly don’t have an exact date,” said Andrew Williams, the president and chief executive officer of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA). “There’s a number of things we have to do before that happens, and so we’re just making sure that all of the right approvals are in place.”

During Tuesday’s council meeting, concerned citizens along with a member of the Stratford-Perth chapter of the Conservancy of Ontario noted the building’s heritage status. Though not currently on the heritage inventory, it was stated that the building could be added to it and then moved to be designated as a heritage property.

“We, as an organization, very much value the heritage role and, obviously, have been open to repurposing suggestions. It’s just far, far, far too expensive,” said Williams. “The building is going to start to cost us a lot of money to maintain it, even though it’s empty. So the right course is to basically clean the property and then develop it in a way that supports the health and wellness needs of our community, which is our top priority.”

According to Williams, fixing and maintaining the current roof on the building would cost roughly $1 million.

“If you’ve seen the building or seen pictures of the building, it has a tarp on the roof now because it's been leaking and has been a major issue obviously from a health and safety perspective,” Williams noted. “So, just that alone would be a significant cost, and then we look at the basic maintenance, keeping it heated and insured and all those sorts of costs. Obviously, the demolition is going to cost us money, but we look at it as a pay-back scenario where we don’t have to then spend $1 million on the roof and keep the building maintained when it’s empty and has no practical use.”

While many may be sad to see the historic building go, Williams assured that steps will be taken to ensure the hospital’s legacy will continue.

“We’ve had discussions with the local Stratford Perth Museum,” he said. “We will be memorializing the building in some way. We’re going to be preserving some of the bricks during the demolition. We’ve got some items in the building that will be specifically saved and presented in some yet-to-be-determined way because we do want to celebrate the important history of the building, and we want to make sure that there remains an opportunity to review its storied history.”

Williams added that the decision to demolish the building was not an easy one. He said that specific details will be followed closely surrounding how materials are to be treated during the demolition and transported after the fact.

“We’ve all made decisions in our lives that we know are the right ones, but they’re not easy to make,” said Williams. “We certainly value the important role that heritage plays in all of our communities. If there was a practical and responsible way to reuse the building, we were certainly open to that, but there just isn’t, and we’ve made what we truly believe is the absolute right and best decision for the community. We’re excited about the options and opportunities that that property will present us moving forward.”

At this time, Williams said that a long-term care home will be the replacement on part of the property, with potential housing options for the remainder of the land.

“We hope to be in a position to have all the necessary approvals shortly,” he said. “We’ll sign the contract and let the community know exactly the timing.”