Renovations to the Robson Valley Recreation Centre got a $280,000 boost from the Regional District of Fraser Fort-George at the board of directors’ Dec. 19 meeting.
A report issued at the meeting said that a roof and structural assessment finished in August showed that around $ million worth of work is needed on the building in McBride, which was built around 1983.
The 34,000-square foot facility is mostly single-storey, but has a two-storey section in the southeast corner. It includes an ice surface, a workout gym, a convert a court and curling rink.
The consulting firms carrying out the assessment that the following “immediate repairs” are needed: replacement of the roofs on the entrance canopies, resealing the metal joints and drains on the main roof, installing a heat trace in the gutter, resealing all the flashings and fastening the built-up wood beams of the canopy to the masonry walls to stop them from moving any further.
In 2025, the building also needs the metal cladding fasteners replaced, the roof on the plant building replaced, the canopy columns need to be repaired or replaced, the doors and windows need to be replaced, the exterior concrete slab at the entrance need to be replaced and the existing masonry block wall need to be released.
Of the short-term work, only the steel column repairs and the entrance beam fastening can be completed before the end of 2024.
The rest of the work is recommended to be included in the 2025 capital works budget at a total cost of $330,000.
District staff requested $280,000 from the Community Works Fund be spent on the repairs and a grant application to BC’s Local Government Climate Action Program is being made for the remaining $50,000.
“Completing these works will have an impact on extending the lifespan of the existing building in its current state until an asset management reserve fund can be established to complete full replacement of components,” staff’s report to the board said. “Replacement of windows and doors will reduce the energy loss from these components in the building.”
Money in the Community Works Fund comes from dispersals from the federal gas tax. Another report from staff said that as of Nov. 30, $13,144,333.14 had been obtained for the Community Works Fund and $12,882,388.98 in expenditures for 82 projects have been approved from those funds since 2005.
At that point, $1,984,824.25 is left in the fund.
A list of projects funded through the CWF can be found here: pub-rdffg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17177.
While discussing the funding, Director Danniele Alan (Electoral Area H) said there was relief when the assessment revealed that the roof and exterior cladding didn’t need complete replacements as those projects would have been much more expensive.
“With both of those, if we just do the maintenance and do the exterior work that we’re talking about, will prolong the life (of the building) and reduce other funding requests,” Alan said.
Director Owen Torgerson, the mayor of Valemount, thanked staff for finding less expensive repairs than a complete roof replacement would have been.
