PORT HARDY, B.C.- The repairs have been made to the roof at the Fort Rupert Curling Club, but the District of Port Hardy remains responsible for footing the bill.
The club had applied for a provincial Capital Project Grant, but that request was denied.
Port Hardy Mayor Hank Bood said that there’s nothing the District was directly made aware of as to why the request was denied.
“But we do know that when we start on a project before the grant funding has been (received), the chances of getting it are less,” he said.
The curling club’s roof was leaking and was in dire need of replacing, according to Bood.
“We felt like the emerging leaks were more important to deal with than making sure we had grant funding beforehand.”
Bood said the entire roof repair project came out to approximately $260,000. The Capital Project Grant would have covered $100,000. That money would have been paid back to the District of Port Hardy.
Had the District chosen to tear the building down entirely, it would have cost $560,000.
“We didn’t actually expect the total bill to be what it was, but when you do this type of thing, you rip the roof off (and) you find further damage,” he said.
“There’s two choices. One is to continue the repair and pay for it, and the other is to shut it down, and we chose the first.”
Bood said they noticed from structural issues while repairing the roof.
“The main beams were actually rotting,” he said.
“That would be a reminder to myself, as well as the District, that when you see leaks starting not to wait because at the end of the day, you’re going to find a bigger bill looking you in the face.”
Bood said even though the grant application was denied, he’s very pleased that the work was done.
“The Curling Club is sort of an example of how the District of Port Hardy is doing, and what the community is feeling like at the moment,” he said.
“I think, in our mixed league, we went from nine teams to seventeen teams . Our men’s league is also up in participation. It’s a good place to be.”
Bood noted that more and more young people are visiting the club, and that it’s become a gathering place for residents in the North Island community.
