Jason Ward and Quan Tan were tasked with analyzing the Maynooth Community Centre and in a presentation to Hastings Highlands council say that it’s not a safe structure.
“Several structural deficiencies were found as a result of the current structural inspection and assessment which renders the building unsuitable for occupancy,” Q&E Engineering state in their report. They say that the building is nearing the end of its service life and the municipality consider a “major renovation” to ensure the building is up to code or demolish the building.
In their report, Q&E estimate renovating the community centre would cost between $500,000 and $750,000, while knocking it down would cost between $150,000 and $250,000.
Q&E’s report is the third one that has been done on the community centre. WSP Engineering also submitted their report for Wednesday’s special council meeting. This is on top of the report that was done earlier in the year. Operations Manager Adrian Tomasini said the three reports cost the municipality around $5,000 each.
A community member questioned Tomasini about why these reports are only being done now on the building. Tomansini, who has been with the municipality since 2015, didn’t give a direct answer but mentioned that he’s required to do monthly check-ups on local buildings.
The community centre is believed to be nearing a century old. It was pointed out by Ward that the way the centre is built does not meet the code that today’s buildings are required to meet.
“It was also found that the existing floor structure is not adequate for assembly occupancy, which requires the floor to support 100 pounds per square foot of live load,” Q&E says in their report. They also point out that the roof of the building needs to be addressed. The wood truss that was built to support the roof has been deemed by the engineers as not good enough. “Visible exterior sagging of the roof is reflective of the truss deflection,” they say. Q&E adds that the deflection is “well beyond” the allowable limit for wood trusses. They say that the roof hasn’t collapsed, but it is possible if enough snow piles up. “This is an unacceptable risk from the standpoint of public safety,” the engineering firm says.
“The existing building is reaching the end of its service life and is due for a major renovation to ensure compliance with the current building code or de-commissioning to ensure public safety and reduce the Municipality’s liability,” Q&E says in the conclusion of their report.
Mayor Vic Bodnar pointed out during the presentation that Tuesday’s special council meeting was only to discuss the report, not to make a decision on what to do with the community centre. “It’s hard to decide on a timeline right now,” he said.