Guelph city council approves moving ahead with centralized operations campus

Plans to centralize some of Guelph’s critical services into one operations campus over the next decade are moving forward.

City council approved the location and site preparations during a meeting on Monday that will eventually see a centralized set of facilities for services such as snow removal, solid waste collection, transit and fleet maintenance be placed next to the Waste Innovation Resource Centre.

The operations campus will cost up to $228 million over the next 10 to 15 years.

“Council has been responsibly preparing for this financial need for a number of years in anticipation that aging infrastructure, coupled with the growth of Guelph, would require prioritization of these facilities,” said Tara Baker, the city’s treasurer and general manager of finance.

“By approving this project now, the city can begin budgeting for this project to get shovels in the ground over the next decade.”

City hall staff are now working on field studies and data collection for the site at Stone Road and Watson Parkway. The design of the overall campus site plan is expected to be completed in 2023.

Council also approved an additional motion to bring the site plans and designs back to council for review. The city said it brings additional council oversight and “touchpoints” before shovels hit the ground.

There will also be quarterly updates posted online and funding requests will be brought forward as part of the city’s annual budget process.

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“Support for a centralized campus is the best possible outcome for the community and staff,” said Antti Vilkko, the city’s general manager of facilities and energy management.

“As Guelph grows to 203,000 people by 2051, planning for expanded service delivery and maximizing efficiency is a key benefit of centralizing the city’s operations.”

More information and a timeline of the project can be found on the city’s website.