Anmore Community Hub
A place to work, gather and celebrate.
Our Community Hub provides administration space for Village staff, a large Community Room that is used as Council Chambers and for community gatherings. The space features plenty of room for seating along with technology to provide high quality audio and video for live-streaming meetings, as well as rental space for local events and community group activities.
The building features:
- A Council Chambers/community room that can also support a Reception Centre in an emergency evacuation
- Village administration offices, including staff workspaces, meeting rooms and reception
- A welcoming entrance plaza that will feature historical Anmore photos and memorabilia
- Dedicated area for a concession during Village events and future potential commercial space in the basement
- Accessible public washrooms that can also be used when the Village hosts outdoor events at Spirit Park
- An expanse of windows with views of Spirit Park
To view the architectural designs, click click here.
To view the news release for the ground-breaking event, click here.
Renting a Facility Space
To make the facility available to our community as quickly as possible, we are implementing a phased approach to allow rentals while we work out some of the additional regulatory and staff resource requirements for facility rentals. Please review the Facility Rental Policy that outlines our current process.
Additionally, we aim to improve the booking process with the anticipated launch of our new website, which will make it easier to book rental space online.
Facility Rentals Quick Links:
- Facility Rental Request Form (all rentals)
- Council Delegation Request Form (non-standard requests)
- Facility Rental Policy
Room Rentals at our Community Hub
Discover the versatility of the Anmore Community Hub rental opportunities, including our large community room and the board room.
Phase 1: The Hub is now available for rent for meetings, workshops, classes and various activities. It’s easy to book space.
- Weekday Bookings – Available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Complete and submit a Facility Rental Request Form either via email or by dropping it off at Village Hall. Please allow at least 10 business days before your preferred rental date.
- After-Hours and Weekend Bookings (as available) – Monday to Friday, 3 – 9 p.m. and weekends, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
The Village does not currently have after-hours staff capacity, which means that these requests must be approved based off availability of on-call staff and resources. To ensure we can make the necessary arrangements, complete and submit a Facility Rental Request Form either via email or by dropping it off at Village Hall. Please allow at least 10 business days before your preferred rental date.
Additional Considerations:
- Rentals are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Limited parking at the Hub is available with the rental space. Additional parking may be available at Anmore Elementary School; however, please note that a permit must be obtained from School District 43 Facility Rentals at an additional cost.
- Rental agreements, deposits and liability insurance must all be submitted by the allocated deadlines outlined in our Facility Rental Policy.
Phase 2: Business Rentals and Other Events and Activities
We are working on the regulatory and staff resource requirements to accommodate events that would require special licences (e.g. liquor licences), involve businesses (e.g. rental fee structure), caretaker requirements, security measures and other considerations that are needed to operate facility rentals.
Unlike larger local governments, the Village does not have dedicated facility staff or a recreation department, which means the Administration staff are striving to accommodate community needs for expanding rental options without compromising essential duties and responsibilities.
- Non-Standard Bookings / Special Requests
Requests for events that are outside the Facility Rental Policy for Meetings must get approval from Council through a Delegation to Council. Specifically, any rental that is considered to be a Social Event that includes alcohol, gambling or music and requires those related permits, falls outside the current policy. To ensure we can make the necessary arrangements, there is a simple two-step process to request a non-standard booking.
Step 1: Complete and submit a Facility Rental Request Form either via email or by dropping it off at Village Hall.
Step 2: Complete and submit a Council Delegation Request Form to the Manager of Corporate Services by 12 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the Council Meeting you would like to attend. Attend as a delegation to request your rental date and time.
Path to the Hub: From Concept to Conception
Please check out our gallery highlighting this milestone occasion.
Click this link to view the video now.
We are excited to share this video to document the construction of the Anmore Community Hub – the first purpose-built civic building in our community.
As part of celebrating this milestone project for our community, we are documenting the steps leading up to the approval of the Hub construction and celebrating together at various stages, such as the ground-breaking event we held last year. One of the ways we have documented this momentous occasion for our village is through a video that highlights some of the history of our past Village Halls and the steps we took to plan for and create a building where we will be able to work, gather and celebrate.
Special thanks go to Bruce Hitchen, an Anmore resident who filmed and produced the video for us, as well as the Anmore residents who took the time to share their thoughts on the project: Darren Smurthwaite and Gina Campbell.
Approved budget for construction: $8.5 million (including risk register)
With the Integrated Project Delivery approach to re-design the building, construction of the Hub is still estimated at just under $8 million. Council also approved a $500,000 risk register to address the continued unpredictability of the construction market and inflation. A risk register is only used if needed, and the project cost cannot exceed $8.5 million, even if it impacts the contractor’s profit margin.
The funding for the Hub includes the following:
- $2.5 million Investing in Canada Infrastructure grant
- $1,620,000 million from capital reserves
- $1,255,000 in developer contributions (Community Amenity Contributions)
- $125,000 in secured provincial grants
- $2.5 million in a long-term loan through the Municipal Finance Authority
The Village made the decision to finance a part of the Hub to spread the costs over a longer period so that future residents who will benefit from the facility will also help pay for it.
To view the news release for the $2.5 million Investing in Canada Infrastructure grant, click here.
Adjusting to Construction Market Cost Increases
From the beginning, Council committed to sticking to the budget for the construction of the project. Some of the initial work to gain insight into actual costs included completing a value engineering process, which involved working with architects, structural engineers and other experts in construction to review the design in the context of the construction market at the time. Some initial design adjustments were made prior to the bid process to keep within the approved budget.
During the bid process, it became clear that the pandemic had resulted in unprecedented increases in construction costs as the bids came in at significantly higher than estimated in the value engineering process. The Village quickly pivoted to adapt to the new environment and made a number of changes, including switching to an Integrated Project Delivery model with a new team to review options to keep costs down.
As part of ensuring the project adheres to the approved construction budget, a few adjustments were made to the design of the building while maintaining its full functionality. The following are some of the key design changes:
- The design of the building exterior is very similar to the original drawings so that it complements the surrounding area; however, some elements including structural, mechanical and electrical have been modified and features like the roof, cladding, and glazing elements have been simplified.
- Skylights were removed
- The acoustic partition in the community was removed, with a design to allow for a future addition of the partition
- The scope for the landscaping and irrigation was reduced
- While the deck has been removed for now, the structure will allow for it to be added in future.
- On the inside of the building, the overall space has been reduced by approximately 3,000 square feet – the majority of this was achieved by removing the future expansion space in the basement, as well as reducing space in the community room.
- To help “future proof” the building, the design will allow for future expansion to the main floor instead.
The Village also shifted to an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model. This model involves a commitment to deliver the project at the agreed-upon budget – even if higher costs reduce the contractor’s profit margin.
Project Partners:
- Village of Anmore
- Krahn Group of Companies
- Jacob Bros. Construction Inc.
- ARC Projects Ltd.
- ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd.
The project team shares a commitment to the following guiding values:
- Trust & Respect
- Collaboration
- Embrace the Process
- Diversity
- Functionality & Fit
To view the project team’s guiding values, click HERE.
To view the full project validation report, click HERE.
For more information about initial planning and community engagement for the Hub, please click HERE.