Updated September 28, 2021

The Municipal Hall renovation is now complete and the Hall is open for residents between 8:30am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.  District staff can also be contacted by the following means:

• Email at info@oakbay.ca
• Phone at 250-598-331

Why a Municipal Hall renovation? 

The District of Oak Bay Municipal Hall was originally built in 1958, with only minimal upgrades undertaken until 2019.  According to the 2016 Building Asset Management Plan, Municipal Hall is one of 29 municipal buildings determined to have extensive building deficiencies with regards to systems, envelope, functionality and spatial layout.  In addition, furniture and workstations are well beyond their life expectancy, with most furnishings 20 to 30 years of age or older.  While the 2016 Building Asset Management Plan recommends a new Municipal Hall, Council is prioritizing the replacement of other infrastructure and assets in the next five years.  As such, and in order to sustain current levels of service from Municipal Hall, renovations are required in the short-term to address decades of deferred maintenance.   

Why now? 

• It’s overdue – the 2016 Building Asset Management Plan identified the need for building sustainment costs in the amount of approximately $1.5 - $1.8 million of critical/recommended maintenance in the first five years (2016-2021) which hasn’t been undertaken.   
• There are health and safety concerns associated with the aged and unmaintained building. 
• Providing the Oak Bay Volunteer Society with their own accessible space in Monterey Recreation Centre will allow for the creation of more adequate meeting and office space in Municipal Hall. 
• Currently, due to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements, Municipal Hall is operating with reduced staffing levels and restricted public access to the building. This situation allows the District to complete the renovation with minimal impacts to usual business operations.  
• The District’s ability to provide face-to-face customer service in the time of a pandemic will be greatly improved post-renovation. 

What has been completed this year? 

What’s next...? 

What was completed in the first phase of the Municipal Hall renovation? 

In 2019, with an eye to extending building life for another 10-15 years, Council approved Phase 1 of the Municipal Hall renovations for a total cost of $321,000.  The following renovations were undertaken: 

• Undertook roof repairs  
• Completed exterior painting  
• Completed renovations to lobby and Council Chambers: 
• interior painting to enable cleaning (last painted in the mid 1980’s) 
• partial carpet replacement (the Occupational Health & Safety Committee has identified the carpet condition as a hazard – tripping and inability for cleaning) 
• Removed asbestos and undertook remediation 
• Upgraded electrical (previously, lights were turned on and off by the breaker panel) 
• Rebuilt boiler (originally installed in 1991) 
• Repaired electronic furnace controls 
• Repaired air handling system  

What is in scope for the second phase of the renovation? 

Council in 2020 approved Phase 2 of the renovations with a budget of approximately $1.3 million to include: 

• Replacing interior and exterior doors 
• Upgrading the fire alarm system 
• Replacing flooring 
• Painting remainder of building interior 
• Constructing interior spatial improvements 
• Replacing furniture that is beyond its useful life 
• Completing electrical upgrades 
• Relocation of Oak Bay Volunteer Society to Monterey Recreation Centre 

For more information on the project please contact: 
Dan Horan, Director of Engineering & Public Works 
dhoran@oakbay.ca 
(250) 598-3311