Grey County Breaks Ground on Addition

On Tuesday, July 26, Grey County officially kicked off the Administration Building addition project with a groundbreaking ceremony. Warden Barfoot had the honour of putting the first shovel in the ground. The construction is expected to last 18-months. It includes relocating the Provincial Offences Court into the building, building more space for services and greatly improving accessibility.

“Today’s ceremony represented an important step forward for Grey County in improving customer services,” said Alan Barfoot, Grey County Warden. “Not only will the addition and renovation address the long-standing issues we have been facing with the court building, it will make it easier for all residents to access the services they need.”

The Provincial Offences court operated by Grey County is below provincial standards and needs a new home. Addressing the long list of shortcomings in that building was major factor in space-needs discussion as far back as 2010.

Accessibility and modern service delivery are also important priorities of the project.

“The Administration Building wasn’t built with accessibility in mind. There is only so much we can do to accommodate the needs of visitors without a major overhaul. At the end of this project, we will have a great new public space that is respectful of everyone’s individual needs,” said Warden Barfoot.

The project is expected to finish late in 2017.

Many partners took in the groundbreaking ceremony including County Council members, architects from The Ventin Group, Devlan Construction, the Grey County Accessibility Advisory Committee, and County Staff.

For more information, please contact Rob Hatten, Communications Officer, at robert.hatten [at] grey.ca (robert[dot]hatten[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519-372-0219 ext. 1235.

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Photo: Kim Wingrove (left) Dwight Burley, Anne Marie Shaw, and Warden Alan Barfoot take the ceremonial first shovel at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Grey County Administration Building Addition.