The city will be hosting an open house on the future of the currently shuttered SASCU Indoor Memorial Sports Complex.
In April, following the release of a detailed structural assessment of the facility completed by Bar Engineering, the City of Salmon Arm shared a notice stating "the building cannot be occupied in its current state.” The arena was closed this winter due to structural concerns.
In its interim report, Bar concluded that repair of the structure, built in 1957 (with additions in 1961 and 1966), would require a “significant investment.”
“Significant investment into the building envelope and structure is required prior to interim occupancy and extending the useful life of the facility,” reads the report. “It is the opinion of the undersigned that permanent repairs to the building envelope and structure, with the intent of extending the useful service life of the facility, is not a viable solution and replacement should be considered.”
The city was waiting completion of a Lifecycle Analysis of the building, which has been received by the city. The engineer's prognosis remains the same.
"Based on the historical data reviewed, site observations made, and the structural evaluation, the building envelope and structure are generally in poor condition and beyond their intended service life," reads Bar's final report. "Significant financial investment will be required to extend the useful service life of the building. As stated… it is the opinion of the undersigned that repairs to the building envelope and structure is not a viable option and demolition or replacement should be considered."
In a related social media post, the city explains the above opinion is "is based on the extensive effort and cost to replace the existing facility."
"Furthermore, the extensive remediation will trigger the requirement to install a fire suppression system and upgrade the existing building to current codes in relation to fire and life safety," said the city.
The final report does include repair estimates to enable temporary and year-round use of the facility. The temporary route would support use from March to November, with no occupancy permitted when snow is accumulating on the roof, or when winds exceed 40 km/hr. Repairs for this were estimated at $90,000. Repairs supporting year-round occupancy were estimated at $2.8 million.
However, the final report recommended the following options: demolish the facility and convert to greenspace (estimated to cost $1 million); replace with a similar facility ($7.6 million) ; replace with an upgraded facility ($9.1 million); and upgrade the existing facility to full year-round occupancy and extend the useful service life 30 years ($6.8 million).
The city is hosting a public open house on the Memorial Arena Sports Complex from 6 to 8 p.m. in city council chambers on Wednesday, June 19. Residents are being urged to "share their vision."
