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Telkwa Community Hall in need of repairs

Council wants to prioritize the roof in $89,000 repair list.
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The Telkwa Community Hall is need of repairs, including the roof. Marisca Bakker photo

The community hall in Telkwa is overdue for some much needed renovations.

Village councillors discussed the hall, which everyone agreed is a very important meeting and gathering place during their July 10 regular council meeting. Village staff said a number of repairs are now required to be completed in order to preserve and enhance the lifespan of the building.

The original building was constructed in 1978 and recent renovations did not fix the roof, which is leaking and rotting. The director of operations compiled an extensive list of needed repairs including the roof, a design to correct the building code irregularities on roof overhangs, rerouting interior waterlines from exterior walls to prevent freezing, exterior siding repairs, and paint to the outside and the doors. Councillor Leroy Dekens noted that the electrical should also be looked at. The estimated cost of the renovations, not including Deken’s suggestion, is $89,000.

Council decided that the roof should be a priority in the project.

“It is an existing and critical building in the village and other grant funders have already invested a ton of money into it,” said Mayor Darcy Repen. “Five or six years ago the hall was shut down and not usable and then there was a significant investment in renovations inside. They did the kitchen and when you have that kind of money invested and it is a critical facility for the village, it becomes a priority. The roof is a no-brainer — if we don’t fix the roof, that facility is dead.”

Staff added that the original construction of the building did not include roof overhangs on the ends of the high part of the building or the ends of the low part adjoining. The two-foot-wide roof overhangs were constructed later and did not meet the BC Building code and still don’t conform today. The director of operations suggested it was necessary as part of the project to have an engineer provide proper design and construction plans to redo the roof overhangs. New insulation will also be needed in some parts of the roof which will also help reduce the Village’s natural gas consumption.

The Village will be applying to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako’s gas tax fund for $79,000. If granted, this money will be used for all the roof repairs and rerouting of the pipelines. Councillors agreed that the siding and exterior painting can wait. Coun. Brad Layton suggested looking into using fire smart material when more money is available for that chunk of work.

Telkwa expects to hear about the grant money at the next RDBN meeting on July 20.



Marisca Bakker

About the Author: Marisca Bakker

Marisca was born and raised in Ontario and moved to Smithers almost ten years ago on a one-year contract.
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