Concerns raised after Brampton’s new city hall gets nicked by trucks

Brampton councillors say staff were warned an overhanging structure was sited too close to the street. It’s been hit three times so far, raising safety concerns.

Thestar.com
Jan. 4, 2016
By San Grewal

The City of Brampton says it has no plans to modify the corner of its new $205 million city hall building, despite an overhang that’s been hit by vehicles at least twice, and mounting concerns among councillors about public safety.

“I was in the building the first time it was hit; a truck came around the corner while we were on a break from a workshop around late spring, early summer. We heard the bang and a loud screeching noise,” said Councillor John Sprovieri, who has criticized the project, an extension of the old city hall building, for being too expensive and for not complying with the city’s bylaws for setback requirements, resulting in a building that is too close to the street.

“I called staff about a month ago after it was hit again. Aluminum siding was hanging from the corner, flapping in the wind,” Sprovieri said.

City spokesperson Mariann Gordon confirmed that the new building has been struck twice, that the city knows of. She said it’s possible that other collisions were not reported. “There are no plans currently in place to modify that corner,” she stated in an email Monday.

Three other councillors told the Star the protruding northeast corner, at Queen and George Sts., has been hit by turning trucks at various times. Pat Fortini and Elaine Moore said it has been hit three times and both witnessed it being struck on one of those occasions. On Monday, the overhang remained visibly damaged, with a vertical crack along the edge, metallic siding partly split and damage to the bottom surface.

“The corner’s pretty tight,” Councillor Jeff Bowman said, “even for cars turning. I know that it was struck recently. It is cause for concern. My question is, is it a matter of time before someone makes a tight turn and it’s a pedestrian standing there? The public’s safety is our biggest concern.”

George Startup, a Brampton resident and city hall watchdog, says he warned staff that the building design put it too close to the street.

“I paced out the sidewalk (before construction began) and told council members that it was going to be too close to the street. How the heck are trucks going to get around that corner, I thought. Now we see what’s happening, because it’s projecting so far out to the street. What if someone’s standing there when a truck doesn’t have enough room to turn?”

Meanwhile, Gordon said Monday that the cause of a flood that damaged the first two floors of the new building on Christmas was still not known, nor was the cost. She described the damage as “mostly cosmetic.”

An email from the district fire chief sent to council members Christmas morning described the flood as “major,” with “significant damage to the contents and also to some ceiling structure, and electrical systems, and elevators.”

Gordon said Monday, however, that there was no damage to elevators.

“I just think it’s sad that a building that cost $205 million, which taxpayers are on the hook for, continues to have these problems,” Sprovieri said. “I’m going to make sure taxpayers don’t have to pay for any of the damage from the flood or whatever we’re going to do to make sure people are safe on that tight corner.”