St. Catharines Downtown Association

With the turn of the calendar to a new year, the City of St. Catharines is the new landlord at the old courthouse downtown.

The city's 25-year-lease with Sam Morabito, inked in 1984, ended on Dec. 31 and the landmark building was returned to the city's control.

All of the building's commercial tenants have left, warned by the city that it intended to use the building for city purposes. The only tenant left is professional theatre company Carousel Players, which has been guaranteed the right to stay until the new Niagara Centre for the Arts is opened in the old Canada Hair Cloth building, said Pablo Felices-Luna, Carousel's artistic director.

In 2007, Carousel was worried it would be evicted, too, but it pleaded with councillors for the right to stay, and in 2008, councillors agreed.

Carousel's ability to stay means six other theatre groups are also staying, said Jane Gardner, Carousel's general manager.

It also means Carousel was able to apply for and accept a $12,000 Trillium grant for upgrades to the entrance stairwells and rehearsal space and new carpeting for the corridors, Gardner said.

"It's such a gorgeous building and last year at this time, when we received word from the city that we could stay, we were able to get this beautiful rehearsal hall spruced up," she said. "It gives us a lot of confidence that we can stay here for at least three years."

City treasurer Shelley Chemnitz said the city is inspecting the building this week and a report on suggested uses for the building will be going to council in a few months.

City administrator Colin Briggs has said the courthouse could be home to new council chambers and offices for the mayor and senior city staff. Chemnitz said staff will prepare a proposal, including costs.

In the meantime, she expects it will cost taxpayers an extra $90,000 a year now that the building is back under city control.

Morabito leased the building for $1 a year for the first 15 years, with the rent jumping to $10,000 a year in 2000 and increasing by 5% a year to $15,512 by the final year. Morabito declined comment.

Morabito was responsible for the interior maintenance, while the city did exterior maintenance, including a three-year, $3.4-million landscaping, roofing and repointing job.

Please see story by M. Bergsma in The St. Catharines Standard at: