Artist rendering of the planned new building at Rising Above.

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

City council approved selling land where Rising Above sits to the organization

Jul 16, 2024 | 6:00 AM

City council has agreed to transfer ownership of the land where the Rising Above addiction treatment centre is located to the organization.

Rising Above Executive Director Mel Siggelkow says this will be a big help in their effort to put up a second building.

“We’re going to build a new building on the present location, in addition to the building that’s already there.”

“With this act of city council, the title would be ours, so it makes it a lot easier for us to work with the bank and the whole legal side of building a building because now it’s on our property instead of on somebody else’s property.”

Siggelkow this will also help with funders wondering who actually owns the property.

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He adds they hope to break ground on a new four storey building with 38 residential units for men this fall. This new building would allow the women’s residential units to also be located on this site.

“So right now, our ladies are (located) in four residential houses and so we have 17 beds for ladies scattered throughout Avondale and Royal Oaks.”

“Those will move into our existing building facility, which has 19 beds. We’re going to do some renovations there to make it more friendly for our ladies.”

Siggelkow on what those renovations would include.

“The washrooms, for example, is going to be where the major expense is going to be, changing them from men’s type of washrooms for more privacy for the ladies.”

He adds they also hope to put drywall over some of the cinder block walls in the former young offender centre.

The sale price would be $1. The city paid $1 to buy it from the province in 2014. It was estimated to be worth $1,310,500 at the time and is currently valued at $1,192,400.

The sale comes a year after council approved a 32-year extension on a lease with Rising Above that included a provision where city hall would pay for preventative maintenance, an amount capped each year at $34,754.60.

The sale includes an agreement that the city will still do this work until February of 2031.

City administration estimates this will save $1,162,829.96 in those preventative maintenance costs.