City of Fernie staff are developing a decommissioning plan for the community centre that was closed on June 12 due to serious health and safety hazards.
An assessment of the indoor air quality found mold and spores throughout the building.
Staff believe they were able to determine a cause.
“The building was constructed without a vapour barrier and as a result, there’s water penetration and as a result of temperature and water penetration over a number of years, there is mold,” said Chief Administrative Officer Michael Boronowski.
“The insulation, the roof and structural elements are significantly compromised.”
The assessment also found other concerns within the building and it would cost close to $2.2 million to do renovations. That number does not include the cost of the mold remediation itself.
The work would cost approximately 50 per cent of what a new bare-bone community centre would be, so staff have decided to decommission the community centre.
City staff will be tasked with bringing a plan for a new facility to council.
In the meantime, they are meeting with local user groups to set up temporary options as it will take a while for a new centre to be established.
Mayor Nic Milligan said the closure of the community centre has been hard on everyone, but he’s incredibly grateful for how the community has responded.
“I’m very grateful to the community for their reaction to this,” he said.
“It’s terrible news and there is a strong sentimental attachment to that building even in the state it’s in, but people have been very understanding.”
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