Much has happened under the roof of Salmon Arm’s first municipal hall in the 91 years since it was built.
With the roof soon to be replaced, it is hoped the building, which has served as the Senior Citizens Drop-in Centre since 1977, will continue to be a hub of activity for years to come.
Salmon Arm engineering and public works director Rob Niewenhuizen said there are things that need to be addressed with the building at 31 Hudson Ave., and the city is trying to do them in a cost effective way.
Vines were removed from the outside of the building in 2017 as they were getting into the mortar. For 2019, the city budgeted $25,000 to replace the roof. Niewenhuizen hopes to see that begin around the end of September.
“It’s kind of like home renovations – what do you do first?” said Niewenhuizen. “And it is a long list because it is an old building. So I think what we’re trying to do this year is protect the structure by putting a new roof over it – that is priority one.”
An additional $10,000 is budgeted for some minor structural/cosmetic repairs, said Niewenhuizen, including brick bolts to pull the brickwork together. This is expected to be done later in the fall.
Despite the separating bricks visible in the facade of the original, front portion of the building, Niewenhuizen said a structural review conducted in 2016 found the foundation up front to be in good condition.
“The major concern is with the add-on to the back of the building where the foundation has shifted and is causing some separation issues from the older section of the building,” said Niewenhuizen.
While it was suggested the back portion could be demolished, Niewenhuizen said that is not what the city wants to do.
“Long-term, from an operations perspective, we’re going to continue to just budget appropriately as we need to, as major repairs come up,” said Niewenhuizen. “Because obviously to reinstate the building would cost a lot of money and it’s just not feasible at this time.”
Every repair the city does on the building is appreciated by Shuswap Lake Senior Citizens Society (SLSCS) President Olena Bramble.
“Every time there’s a little bit of money sent our way, I keep thinking, oh well, if they’re spending some money on it they’re not going to tear it down,” said Bramble, who sees the building, leased from the city by the SLSCS, as complementing the old courthouse and the art gallery, both in terms of heritage value and as important community spaces.
It is the SLSCS’ mandate to offer the building as a community space, for “social interaction among senior citizens in Salmon Arm and area.” The building is used for bingo, bi-weekly meetings of the Spiritualist Church, and by Interior Health for Elder Services programming. It is home to the Mount Ida Painters Guild. There’s a computer lab, a pool table and games to educate and entertain. And new wellness programs and activities are in the works: a meditation event brings in Buddhists once a week; a Wellness Fair is planned for October and an exercise program, Move with Music, is slated for the fall.
“If it wasn’t for all these programs that bring in the seniors (55-plus and younger), our society would not exist,” said Bramble.
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