Ribbon-cutting held for new $20M town hall in New Tecumseth

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday for a new $20 million town hall in New Tecumseth.

The project has taken years to complete, and there has been plenty of public opposition, as many have argued that the funds could be better spent.

"It's too expensive. We were dealing with a building that was just a quarter of this, right? No, they need this whole new huge building, I mean, I don't see the reason for it," said Alliston resident Edita Tas.

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But the mayor says the added space is needed as the township grows.

"It's almost three times bigger than the old facility," said Mayor Richard Norcross. "We're going to try to build a community hub to ignite, unite and bring this community together."

The Town of New Tecumseth voted in favour of converting the former Alliston Union Public School in Alliston, Ont. into a new town hall. Wed. June 30, 2021 (Roger Klein/CTV News)

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The population in New Tecumseth is predicted to increase from nearly 46,000 to 85,000 by 2051.

"We have a very large geographical area all the way from Highway 9 up to Highway 89 in Cookstown, almost all the way over to Highway 50," the mayor added.

The new administration building is on the same land as the former Alliston Union Public School, and some of the old building has been incorporated into the structure.

"There's a tremendous amount of space in this facility," Norcross said.

The mayor said the new building would allow the Township to deal with local matters more efficiently, saying it's equipped with the latest technology.