The future of Centre in the Square could be one of the biggest decisions facing city councillors in Kitchener all year.
Not only is the city in the midst of reviewing the organizational mandate of CITS – including what the city’s role should be in running or overseeing its operations – but the facility itself is in need of a similar checkup.
City councillors toured the building Monday, and were told it needs $7 million worth of repair work.
Areas of concern included leaky sections of the roof, washrooms in need of replacement and cracks in concrete.
“It needs a lot of work. It’s 35 years old,” said Bruce Gordon, the CITS board chair.
Mayor Berry Vrbanovic called the future of Centre in the Square a “very complex” issue – and potentially one of the most closely watched in some time.
“We probably have one of the greatest levels of citizen engagement that we’ve ever seen on any issue … happen with the Centre in the Square,” he said.
“It tells me the community’s very passionate about the facility.”
Separately, the organization is in the midst of a bitter dispute with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony over performance nights reserved for the orchestra.
Centre in the Square finished its last fiscal year with a $1.5 million deficit, despite a $1.4 million cash infusion from the city.
The organization’s board has already spent $2.3 million on repairs.
