Residents of Ritchot joined its council and RM staff on October 16 for the official grand opening of the newly renovated civic office.
The major project, which took just over a year to complete, adds 4,000 square feet of space to the building, providing nearly 8,000 square feet in total. The grounds also received a major facelift, making the outdoor space beautiful, functional, and community-friendly.
In order to demonstrate its functionality, RM staff treated celebrants to a live band which played from a newly installed and permanent stage onsite. Participants gathered on the grass nearby to enjoy the band or play outdoor games.
Bordering the half-circle drive, a variety of local market vendors and food trucks hawked their wares.
“When there’s community events, this is where everybody could get together,” Councillor Joel Lemoine says. “Music can be played, kids can play activities, people can sell local goods, etc. So that was the dream and now it’s right here beside the municipal office.”
Guests were treated to tours of the building’s expansive interior. Entering through the new public access doors, one is greeted by a large, high, and open reception area, spacious enough to accommodate groups as well as wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
To the left, a new oval-shaped room has been constructed to serve as council chambers, large enough for 30 seats in the viewing gallery. Two large projection screens hang on either side of the chamber.
“The [idea] is, basically, if we have a large group of people, to make them comfortable and be able to see whatever’s on the screen and able to hear [what’s being said],” Lemoine says.
A brightly lit board room sits next door featuring a floor-to-ceiling windows, a kitchenette, furnishings, and up-to-date audio-visual equipment. Thanks to another large projection screen, this room can act as overflow space when public gatherings exceed council chambers capacity.
The older portion of the building, completely unrecognizable, has been gutted and restored to include a series of well-lit offices for each department.
A couple of extra offices provide storage space in the interim and room to grow in the long-term.
The area containing the former reception desk, board room, and council chambers is still a work in progress. Sectioned off from the rest of the building by a door, this area has almost endless possibility as community space.
With its own private entry and washroom facilities, Lemoine sees opportunity for business startups or corporate gatherings to rent the space.
Ryan Faucher, economic development officer, has other ideas, too. The RM has already begun conversations with the Assiniboine Community College, he says, to offer courses in careers like early childhood educator and homecare.
In this way, the old but still functional furnishings and technical equipment can find a new purpose.
“What I’d like to see, because we have the audio/visual aspect, is having people come in here and actually take their course as a group so then you have that networking and, as they say, social capital, to build your community,” Faucher says.
As well, he adds, the space could be utilized for public services such as blood drives, vaccination clinics, and information sessions.
“Also, anything that our rec department offers we’ll be able to do onsite. which is just convenient and easy to support,” says Faucher.
Swipe lock entry will soon make it easy for renters of the space to gain personal access.
“If you’re a student, if you’re someone that works from home, an accountant, or a lawyer that needs to meet with people, you can meet here,” says Faucher. “Sometimes you need to have a meeting or just a place to sit quietly and work. We’ll have this area all set up and they’ll have network connectivity, a printer, scanners, and equipment.”
Attendees of the Wednesday celebration were treated to free gourmet coffee provided by Perk and sugar cookies decorated with the RM logo. Council and the CAO participated in a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony.
