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Kinsmen Community Centre in jeopardy

Journal Staff The future of the Sarnia Kinsmen Community Centre is in serious doubt after mould was discovered in its ceiling. Bookings have been halted for the facility at 656 Lakeshore Rd.
The Sarnia Kinsmen Community Centre at 656 Lakeshore Rd.Journal Photo
The Sarnia Kinsmen Community Centre at 656 Lakeshore Rd. Journal Photo

Journal Staff

The future of the Sarnia Kinsmen Community Centre is in serious doubt after mould was discovered in its ceiling.

Bookings have been halted for the facility at 656 Lakeshore Rd. until city hall can obtain more air test results and a building inspection is completed.

The roof has apparently been leaking for years, resulting in mid-level mould contamination in the ceiling and some walls, parks and recreation director Beth Cignac said last week.

Water has pooled in some ceiling tiles and the wiring may have been impacted.

St. John Ambulance, a building tenant, has been advised to find an alternative location for its classroom training sessions, and not to renew its lease with the city when it expires Sept. 30.

The VanGaver Dance Studio is located in a different part of the building unimpacted by the water damage and mould. The studio’s fall and winter program are unaffected.

The Sarnia Kinsmen Club, which helped convert the former elementary school into a community centre in 1981, is looking elsewhere to hold its bimonthly meetings.

The club has told the city is doesn’t have the resources to help with repairs.

It could cost $140,000 to fix the roof and remove the mould, while repairing the ceiling, floors and electrical would be more, Cignac said.

The community centre has other issues, as well. It needs a new parking lot and requires an asbestos survey, has heating and cooling problems, and doesn’t meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

A full report is being prepared for city council, Cignac said.


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