Surprise! It’s a whole new county building

Elgin councillors voted unanimously Tuesday, May 13, to commission detailed plans for a new building to house the county museum, archives, Provincial Offences court…and now the entire administration.

In 2012, councillors started looking at larger quarters for the museum and archives, as well as Elgin’s Provincial Offences court. Then they tagged on a new council chamber, and now county officials appear to have convinced them a whole new building would be a better deal than an addition to the existing one.

Adding a fourth floor to the proposed new structure would provide enough room for up to 60 administrative employees from all county departments, they contended. That would bring the estimated cost of the building to $11.75-million, far more than originally estimated in 2012.