New city hall project administrator Wadah Al-Yassiri inside the new council chambers during a media tour on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
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Two years after construction began, Windsor's new city hall is nearly complete. All 280 employees will work out of their new offices on Tuesday, May 22nd — with the grand opening on Saturday, May 26th.
After the move is complete, the old city hall will be demolished and the area surrounding will be landscaped into a civic plaza. Local media were invited on a special tour of the facility Tuesday as construction workers rushed to make finishing touches.
The City of Windsor said revenue brought in by Caesars Windsor represents a 'small, but certainly a significant' contribution to the city's overall budget. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
The current city hall's entrance is a small lobby, leading to elevators. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
Visitors to the new city hall will find themselves in a large atrium, with the council chambers on the ground floor, a contrast to the third floor location of the old chambers. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
This is what Windsor's current city council chambers look like. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
The new chambers feature much higher ceilings with a large wall of natural marble staff say was sourced from China. The new gallery will seat 180 people, an increase from 75-80 in the old one. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
Glass panels separate the council chambers from the atrium, and can be moved out of the way to connect the two rooms. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
Cornerstones from Windsor's three previous city halls are displayed with the new one. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
Most city services are accessed on the first and second floor, right off the atrium. This is the second floor service desk, where development services is located. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
This large multi-purpose meeting room on the second floor will also double as a space for Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) meetings, the provincial body formerly known as the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
The third floor will be home to a green roof (not yet planted). While the building does not have formal LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, project administrator Wadah Al-Yassiri says he believes the new city hall would meet, at minimum, the LEED silver standard. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
The fifth floor is home to the offices of the mayor, city clerk and chief administrative officer (CAO). (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
The mayor's personal office is located at the northwest corner of the building and features different coloured walls and flooring, as well as an en-suite bathroom and shower. A time capsule is hidden in the walls, containing a bottle of Canadian Club whisky. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
Ten per cent of the 120,000 sq. ft. building is empty space reserved for future office expansion. Mayor Drew Dilkens notes library administration may use some of this space while it transitions to a new central library. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)
The grand opening of Windsor's new city hall takes place Saturday, May 26th at 11 a.m.
Jonathan Pinto is the host of Up North, CBC Radio One's regional afternoon show for Northern Ontario and is based in Sudbury. He was formerly a reporter/editor and an associate producer at CBC Windsor. Email jonathan.pinto@cbc.ca.
