I was not surprised that the sale of the Convergys building to another call centre has fallen through given how tenuous their business model is with the exchange rate, the contraction in their client base, and North American wages. We have anticipated that the Convergys building would be available for development since they ceased Brandon operations in May 2008. That's over two years ago.

I am concerned that the mayor and council are not being more aggressive about turning this idle asset into something that will benefit Brandon. How much potential tax revenue has been left on the table because of this slow pace? Delays in determining the direction for that property have cost the City money that could be used in to fund other projects, and it means that we are missing another construction season. It would have been prudent, given the high uncertainty of the proposed sale, to begin developing a cost benefit analysis of various alternatives as soon as there was a reasonable likelihood that the property would be sold.

Shortly, the City will be sending out a call for proposals for this building. In parallel with the private sector proposal process, the mayor should explore how much it would cost to retrofit the Convergys building for police services. This opportunity was not available when the former Safeway site was purchased, however it should now be included in the deliberations. Given that the mayor is still talking about retrofitting the former Safeway building rather than new construction, it could be less expensive to retrofit Convergys (which was originally purchased for just that project). That would free up the more valuable Safeway parcel to be sold. Not only would the City benefit from the sale, but private sector development on that very visible commercial property at Tenth and Victoria would generate healthy additional tax revenue.

There are other public sector development opportunities that would benefit the City that are also worth looking at. Centralizing immigrant services (the current tenant) into the Convergys building could be an option. Not only are there great classroom facilities, but there is also enough space for a daycare and other support services. The City may have to make an investment/commitment if we want these folks who are new to Brandon to stay here and put down roots.

In closing, a few rhetorical questions: Why do we not have a more effective property development strategy? (First and Rosser, both the old and new firehalls, Convergys, and Safeway — each purchase/development has been fraught with challenges). Like the previous air service proclamation, why does the mayor use his State of the City address to imply dramatic announcements that then fall through? And finally, when are we going to have a forward-looking planning process that anticipates growth and development?

Shari Decter Hirst

Brandon

(The writer is a declared candidate for mayor for the October municipal election.)