“Council is going to have to make some tough decisions.”
That was Powassan Mayor Peter McIsaac’s reaction upon learning that the Trout Creek Community Centre must close at the end of this hockey season due to structural issues.
The decision that looms before council is whether to continue to spend money to rehabilitate the community centre, which is nearly 50 years old, or replace it with a new facility that could last 50 to 100 years.
Last fall, the municipality installed timber columns inside the community centre, surrounding the ice rink to support the roof in addition to keeping snow loads on the roof to a minimum.
These were among several recommendations Tatham Engineering made to the municipality if the goal was to keep the facility open this season in order to deal with “critical risk issues.”
“I’m already going against the (building) code," said Madeleine Smith, Tatham’s senior project engineer, during a presentation at the Feb. 18 Powassan town council meeting,
Smith said the measures taken last fall to keep the space open were only temporary. She said the building is at the end of its serviceable life and will continue to deteriorate.
Because of this, one thing the building cannot be used for is an emergency shelter, which Smith said is normally what “community centres are rated for.”
Smith told council the wooden beam supports, keeping snow off the roof and away from the side of the building and ongoing monitoring are not enough to keep using the building. She said it’s not just snow that impacts the structure.
Smith said the building has to contend with wind strength and moisture issues, which can result in shifting “and every shift gets a little more risky. If we get a big shift, we have to close at that point,” Smith said.
Smith said Powassan could easily spend $2.5 million on the building but that would only address maintenance and upkeep, but “It doesn’t increase the life of the building, it’s just maintenance.”
Smith said the municipality can continue to apply rehabilitation work to the structure but that will be a costly exercise.
“Rehab is complex, especially when it’s on the structural side,” she said.
“It’s costly and it’s not a complete solution because there are other issues going on in the building. We recommend a replacement.”
Smith said a replacement option could cost up to $3.5 million but noted there are green energy grants and community improvement grants the municipality of 3,400 people could try to access to offset the overall cost.
Although it has nearly four times the residents of Powassan has, and its arena is much larger, Smith used the Elliot Lake Centennial Arena as an example when a municipality decides to rehabilitate an old building.
The arena, which is 56 years old, was closed in 2023, Smith said, for similar issues that face the Trout Creek building.
She said the City of Elliot Lake determined several years ago a replacement arena would cost about $18-million.
The city opted for the rehabilitation route and she said so far, it’s $11-million into the project. She said the rehabilitation costs in Elliot Lake are getting closer to the replacement costs.
Smith said her intent was not to shut down the Trout Creek Community Centre.
With the temporary measures, the community was able to “limp through this season” knowing there were scheduled activities.
Mayor Peter McIsaac was still in shock after hearing Smith’s presentation.
McIsaac said he thought the rehabilitation work would allow Powassan to use the TCCC a little longer until a rehabilitative or replacement plan could be developed.
“I understand you’re doing what you have to do, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it,” McIsaac said.
McIsaac said he knows what the community centre means to Trout Creek residents and he played there as a youngster. “It’s the heart and soul of Trout Creek,” he said.
The arena is also in the running for this year’s Kraft Hockeyville competition with the winner receiving $250,000.
Elliot Lake won Hockeyville in 2024.
McIsaac said council wasn’t facing good news and would have to make a decision on how to move forward. “There is a lot to digest,” he said.
“But it’s good for the council to get their head around the reality of the cost for a new arena.”
When might the TCCC close for the season? Mayor Peter McIsaac said March 30 is the proposed date at this time, adding the centre normally closes around the end of March.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.