The Arenex in Queen’s Park is a write-off after its roof collapsed due to a heavy snowpack - just hours after staff were evacuated from the building.
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the Arenex was closed for programs on Monday, but three staff were working on site. In the afternoon, they heard a cracking, popping and twisting sound, which was the beginning of the roof beams beginning to move and separate.
“It was a quiet day in the gymnasium, which probably helped us identify the situation early,” he said. “We first became aware of the situation in the late afternoon, contacted emergency services. They (the fire department) came on site with a structural engineer and the decision was very quickly made that we needed to evacuate the building and cut off services to it in the event of a collapse. Unfortunately, that collapse happened within an hour after that call was made. Quick thinking on several people's parts probably averted any potential injuries.”
Mayor Jonathan Cote said it’s fortunate there weren’t any activities taking place in the Arenex on Monday night.
“Normally on an evening at that time, it would have been packed full of some type of activity,” he said. “We were going to be resurfacing the floor and it was empty at the time, other than staff who might have been in there. We are lucky on so many accounts.”
The Arenex, built in 1938, is home to many activities including the Motoring Munchkins drop-in program for toddlers and parents, gymnastics and trampoline programs, ball hockey, volleyball, basketball and badminton. It’s also home to the Shasta Trampoline Club, the Sapperton Fish and Game Club, the Queensborough Boxing Club and the Queen’s Park Running Club.
“We are really thankful we didn’t have activities going on in the building and nobody was injured,” said Fire Chief Tim Armstrong. “It is truly a blessing there.”
On Tuesday morning, city officials were waiting for the insurers to arrive at the Arenex, do their assessment and give the city the go-ahead to demolish the building which has been deemed a write-off.
“We are going to have the building secured with fencing, as well as security on scene, but the quicker we get some of the vulnerable areas down, the better off we will be,” Armstrong said.
According to Gibson, the city had no concerns about snow load on the Arenex roof before staff reported the suspicious sounds.
“This building is 70 years old. It has withstood decades and decades of very harsh weather,” he said. “There was no reason to believe anything would be different this time around than what we have experienced.”
Gibson said the exterior roofing membrane on the Arenex was replaced in recent years as part of the city’s regular maintenance. As part of the city’s energy management initiatives, he said insulation was added to the roof at the same time.
New West resident Rick Dowkes, who once lived in Sault St. Marie, said people back east would have to get on their roofs a couple of times each winter to remove snow so it wouldn’t build up because of the weight of the snow. When the Arenex roof was repaired a couple of years ago, he said insulation was added to the roof.
“It was cold in there,” said Dowkes, one of the many residents who visited the scene on Tuesday. “They decided to insulate, which is nice as it keeps the people inside warm but it allows no heat to escape to melt it.”
Gibson didn’t want to speculate on the cause of the roof’s collapse, preferring to wait until engineers confirm the cause.
Cote said the city will need to discuss whether to rebuild the Arenex on its existing site or to increase the scope of the Canada Games Pool/Centennial Community Centre replacement project.
“We are definitely, early in the new year, going to have to have some important discussions because a facility that is used like this can’t just disappear out of the City of New Westminster.”
The Record has contacted city officials with questions about previous assessments of the Arenex, risk at other facilities and snow removal policies at city facilities, but hadn’t received a response by press time.
