August 2023

There has been much work done by both the Community and RDN towards the goal of getting the former South Wellington School re-opened as a community centre. The goal remains to use as much of the existing school "as is" and open as a community recreation centre as soon as possible.

Detailed reviews of the following critical facility operating systems are mostly complete. Much of this was evaluating the state of the building itself and systems to ensure current and future building safety and determining the current state of the facility itself and building systems.

1. Hazardous Material Assessment
2. Seismic
3. Underground Oil Storage Tank
4. Fire Alarm and Suppression Systems
5. Water and Septic Systems
6. Heating
7. Building Envelope (roof, exterior doors, windows, sidings)
8. Heating System

While the facility and its operating systems are in relatively good shape for their age, some challenges, with various degrees complexity and costs to repair, have been discovered. Some of these include:

1. Accessibility
2. Seismic
3. Building perimeter emergency access
4. Parking
5. Electrical system capacity
6. Building fire suppression
7. Washrooms

Some of the answers found in the building and system reviews still underway will help determine the possible options available to meet the project goal (use as much of the existing school "as is" and open as a community recreation centre as soon as possible).

Further and continued review from earlier findings seem to indicate that expensive and lengthy improvements required such as hazardous material abatement, fire suppression (sprinkler) system and electrical upgrades will not be as extensive and costly as once thought.

There are also many regulatory obligations the RDN must follow such as; building bylaw and code requirements, parking capacity and variance application, traffic impact assessment, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure land use agreement in place, and accessibility modifications that will take time to complete and gain approval for.

The RDN and South Wellington and Area Community Association (SWACA) have been working with towards creating an operating plan and agreement for the facility. The next planned meeting for SWACA representatives and the RDN will be in late in October, 2023.

Please remember to sign up to receive a notice when updates are made here on the project webpage