Construction of the new Brock Mission emergency shelter for men could start soon, the city's CAO told city councillors at a meeting Tuesday night, now that an application for federal funding has been successful.

Chief administrative officer Sandra Clancy told councillors she expects news soon on a groundbreaking.

The city had applied for $5.2 million in federal funding to help cover the $6.3 million cost to build the new Brock Mission shelter for men.

More than half of the $2-million goal has now been raised, Brock Mission CEO Bill McNabb told The Examiner in June.

That leaves a bit more than $5 million to pay for construction - and he hoped that would come from the application for funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Clancy didn't offer any specifics on Tuesday evening - she just said an application was successful and construction could start soon.

The new Brock Mission is still expected have 30 emergency beds, plus 15 small rental units. It will be built on the vacant property on Murray Street where the dilapidated Brock Mission was demolished in late 2017.

Homeless men have been occupying the hall of the former St. Paul's Presbyterian Church at Water and Murray streets since the former Brock Mission building was torn down.

The church had pricey structural issues, and the congregation sold it to local real estate investor Kevin MacDonald, who plans to tear it down entirely.

Demolition began in January, starting with the oldest parts of the church.

The church hall where the homeless men are staying is in the newest wing of the portion of the building, which remains intact.

The new Brock Mission was designed by Lett Architects Inc. of Peterborough and it will be built by Mortlock Construction of Cavan Monaghan Township.

In other business at councillors' committee meeting on Tuesday:

One Roof Community Centre

Councillors voted to extend an agreement with St. John's Anglican Church to continue hosting One Roof Community Centre, a combined hot-meal and daytime drop-in program for people in need.

A three-year contract with the church will expire at the end of 2019, but there's the option to extend it by a year through 2020.

One Roof Community Centre offers meals, daytime drop-in and culinary training, all in the lower level of St. John's Anglican Church on Brock Street.

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A one-year contract extension for those services will cost a total of $312,000, states a new city staff report.

The city will be expected to pay $174,083, the county $48,917 and the province $89,000 (the province's portion is for culinary training).

Affordable housing

A former bread factory that was converted into 30 affordable apartments more than 15 years ago is about to change hands, and councillors voted to allow a long-standing tax break to apply to the new owner.

A new city staff report states that the numbered company that owns the building at 225 Stewart St. is about to sell the property to local developer TVM.

A new city staff report says that when the building was converted into apartments in 2003, the owner was granted a break on property and school taxes, for a period lasting until 2022.

On Tuesday councillors approved a plan to transfer that tax break onto the prospective new owner, TVM, and to also extend the period to 2032.

joelle.kovach

@peterboroughdaily.com