The proposed Chatham-Kent Community Hub (CKCH) is still alive.
CK's council met on Monday, where they approved proceeding with the construction procurement phase of the project.
Councillors Michael Bondy, Alysson Storey, Rhonda Jubenville, Morena McDonald, and Jon Wright all voted against the CKCH. Trevor Thompson refused to vote.
Several Councillors mentioned how hard it was to come to a decision. This was the case for Anthony Ceccacci.
"I don't want to spend $20 million, $50 million, but if we don't invest in our community, who's going to?" he explained.
For others like Mayor Darrin Canniff, the decision was easy.
"It's the most fiscally responsible thing to do. We need to have our cake and eat it too," he said.
Most of the Councillors who voted against the CKCH shared their thoughts at the meeting. For Jubenville, she said she sees the appeal for Chatham residents, but not for rural residents.
"I feel that this is a great project, but it's shiny and pretty... It's a need, not a want," she explained.
Jubenville added that most residents she's talked to have been against the hub.
The meeting was held at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre to allow more residents the chance to watch in person. Around 200 people took advantage, many for and against the project.
Seventeen people gave deputations. Only a few spoke in favour of the hub, one of them being Lucinda Harp.
"The CK Hub is not just a building, it's a bold leap forward," she said.
Most of the people who gave deputations shared issues they had with the project, such as the attention it's getting compared to other projects.
Multiple people from Tilbury brought up the lack of municipal support to prevent local flooding and to clean up the demolition work on Queen Street North.
The number one concern for many is the cost. At this time, it's estimated to be around $52.8 million. This is under the proposed $53 million.
This number is expected to drop. This is because of a $5 million donation from the Myers Family Foundation to help build and operate the new library and museum, and the future sale of the current Civic Centre and library, previously appraised in 2023 at $9 million.
Several contingencies, such as tariffs and inflation, are already included in the costs. According to Dan Amicone, the project's principal architect, less than five per cent of the materials will come from the United States.
A financial report done on the hub suggested renovating the current Civic Centre, library, and the museum would cost under $48 million. However, municipal officials claim each building would need to be expanded to meet Building Codes, specifically for accessibility, raising the costs to roughly $108 million.
For some, this number seems far-fetched.
"The price has suspiciously doubled in the last few years. What was added?" said Jim Brackett, the president of the Kent Federation of Agriculture, who spoke at Monday's meeting.
Another resident called the report and the $108 million estimate a "bunch of bologna."
The CKCH is still not 100 per cent guaranteed to happen. A decision on whether to officially award a contract to start construction will likely happen in October 2025.