Minden Hills council, on Nov. 30, directed the Lochlin Community Centre advisory committee to meet to discuss the future of the beleaguered hamlet hall.
Manager of parks, recreation and facilities, Candace McGuigan, said, on Nov. 30, they’d hired Tulloch Engineering to have a look at the community centre and they have deemed it to be in poor to fair condition. They have recommended the township either repair it, at a cost of $366,000, or demolish it and construct a new centre, at a cost of $600,000.
The hall has been closed since the onset of COVID-19 for health and safety reasons, McGuigan said.
“Prior to 2019, the facility had issues with the roof leaking into one of the washroom areas. The repair to the roof had been budgeted, but due to staffing changes, and the pandemic, the necessary repairs were not accomplished,” she said in a written report.
“The result was mould growth in one of the washroom areas, which required remediation, and the removal of wall and ceiling materials in that area. This closed that washroom to the facility, and to date is in an unfinished state. The roof was subsequently replaced in late 2021,” she said.
In the spring of 2022, McGuigan said staff were preparing to open the facility for rentals once again, but during a cleaning inspection noticed there had been significant water leaks in the basement, and the kitchen area had some mould.
Staff contracted Pinchin Ltd. to investigate the mould and they said it was impacting the air quality in the whole facility. They also found other hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead paint, that will impact the remediation and necessitate precautions required by provincial regulations, in addition to those necessary for mould remediation.
Pinchin provided staff with a proposal to assist the municipality with the preparation of a scope of work, the selection of a contractor, oversite, and air monitoring of the mould remediation. The quoted price was $12,625, plus H.S.T. McGuigan said that does not include the actual remediation or removal of materials, as that pricing would be determined through the RFP process with Pinchin. She said subsequently, Tulloch was contracted and completed a building condition assessment on July 20, 2023.
In the interim, McGuigan said the heat is set at 57 degrees and unused appliances have been turned off and cleaned. Hydro has been reduced from 553 kWh to 150 kWh. Internet is still being supplied as a report from IT showed large outside usage from August to October, and minimal usage the remainder of the year. McGuigan added rodent control continues and staff are monitoring the building regularly.
McGuigan said $366,000 to $600,000 was a “substantial cost” and they need to know what the community is looking for in terms of a hall going forward.
Deputy mayor Lisa Schell suggested coun. Bob Sisson, who is the ward councillor, and sits on the committee, convene a meeting. She noted the committee was re-established in 2023. “Have a discussion. It (the hall) has a lot of history within the community. A lot of the members of the committee are not going to want a new building plopped on the property. It won’t hold the same. I think we need community input, especially from that committee, before this council makes any decision.”
Coun. Tammy McKelvey said she also sits on the committee and has been trying to get a meeting, with full reports.
Sisson added, “is there such a thing as getting a second opinion? Just taking it for granted that these people are saying $366,000, $600,000, whatever.” He suggested talking to a local engineering firm. “There’s a lot of old things that get repaired. Why are we just going to demolish it? It doesn’t make any sense.” He said a number of municipal buildings have faults. “I don’t understand why everybody is against this hall.”
He noted the community centre was declared an emergency shelter in flooding, so has a use. “I think we owe it to these people to let them know what’s going on. We’ve been dragging this on, and keeping it a secret from them for months. They need to know what’s going on.”
Mayor Bob Carter said the report was a starting point. He added he did not think anybody was against the hall, but it had been closed for over two years due to mould and asbestos.
He added, “the first step is to have this meeting, see where it goes, these people (the committee) can make recommendations but are not making decisions. Decisions will be made here.”
