SIOUX LOOKOUT — A funeral home that has operated for more than 100 years has received approval to rebuild and relocate, despite some concerns from community members.
A public meeting was held on Wednesday to determine if Sioux Lookout Funeral Home could merge their current lot with two adjacent vacant lots and re-zoned those lots for commercial use.
The Sioux Lookout Funeral has a long-standing history within the community dating back more than 100 years, serving around 200 families and 26 First Nations, according to manager Jordan Oltsher.
However, after multiple renovations and additions to the structure, the current building still needs to be significant upgrades to maintain a safe working environment.
Oltsher provided background to council on why the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home needs to “start from scratch” instead of refurbishing the existing property.
“Our main lift system to get from the basement to the main floor was permanently condemned for being unsafe with a new elevator system coming in at more than 100,000 with hundreds of thousands more that would have to be spent on updating the foundation, the structure and everything else. Our building now is literally falling apart and public safety is starting to become an issue,” Oltsher told council.
Oltsher said a new building will modernize the funeral home by creating an energy-efficient and accessible space for its patrons and employee.
With the addition of the two lots, Oltsher plans to build a parking lot with 30 regular parking spaces and two barrier-free parking spaces alleviating the parking on Front Street and 2nd Avenue.
“Our new parking lot would be able to handle most of the services we run as opposed to what we have now, which is nothing but street parking for everybody. If you've ever driven by during service, you may have noticed all the cars lining up both sides of the street on the west end of Front Street which pretty much clogs up for anybody that lives up on the hill,” Oltsher said.
Additionally, the report presented to council by the planning coordinator Kristen Bartmann states the funeral home plans to have a second storey containing apartment dwelling units, adding to the municipal housing stock.
Oltsher told council that these apartments unit will be used for employees.
In response to a question from Coun. Joan Cosco, Oltsher said the new site would not include a crematorium.
However, Bartmann also told council she had received one letter from a member of the public works department that informed council that the municipality would “have to upgrade the sewer and water services to accommodate this kind of build.”
Council heard from two residents speaking in opposition to the project who also stated that the sewer and water service on Front Street would need an upgrade.
Kayla Newman and Emily Pelletier suggested the funeral home rebuild will exasperate the crumbling municipal infrastructure on Front Street.
“The increased activity in the poorly maintained roads, the collapsing and the backing up of the sewer lines and the orange and rusty water on that end of Front Street will only get worse,” Newman said.
“I have to call the town frequently throughout the year to have it pumped because it does back up. So, that's one of my main concerns is that if that's going to be done, then, we would appreciate that the street be completely redone to alleviate any of those problems for other homeowners down at our end,” said Pelletier.
Newman also pointed out that commercial properties tend to slow down appreciation rates on residential homes creating littler demand for resale.
Mayor Doug Lawrance addressed these concerns, stating that the municipality is aware “that many places in town need upgrading and staff are doing it according to the finances we have available and funding that's available from the senior government.”
“We're going ahead with this on our own. It's a very expensive project,” Lawrance continued.
Chief Administrative Officer Michelle Larose clarified that staff will be following up with the public works department upgrades to water and sewer services in the area.
Council voted to approve the by-law amendment in favour of the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home.
