[drpgq]

What is it with the board of education that they can't get this done? Is it basically that senior management want to get away from downtown or what?

Originally Posted by Bob Bratina

Vrancor did not originally intend to keep the HMP building. My personal history with it goes back about 40 years, having had cars serviced there, etc. It was a wood-framed brick box somewhat saturated with the ooze and effluence of automotive lubricants and other solvents. Had it caught fire it would have been major conflagration.

Vrancor's architects were present at the LACAC meeting which heralded the saving of the Lister Block, and rather than argue that day for demolition, they agreed to look at incorporating it into the hotel design. You can search the records and find the date of that appearance, and then find the date of demolition approval. You'll see that many months passed as they studied how the HMP building might be retained. The first proposal was rejected because they showed the building attached to the hotel, which was not approved by Hilton. The drawings shown in this thread were the second attempt, showing the building separated from the main hotel structure. While this process was taking place Vrancor built TWO hotels in Sudbury and began constructing another in North Bay, as well as purchasing the Sheraton Hamilton. I do not excuse the parking lot operation, and charges were laid by the City. My understanding is that Vrancor is taking this to the O.M.B.

Site plan work continues with the City planning department, although changes in design and schedule may occur due to the inability of the Board of Education to come to terms with McMaster regarding the proposed Family Medicine faculty and clinic proposed for the Education Centre site. McMaster intends to start the project and wants it located in the core. This could mean utilizing other near-by properties. We have held talks with two property owners in the past week or so, and other potential sites are city-owned. In any case it's fairly certain that significant development will take place in the core, perhaps even a Pan Am stadium.