Robson Valley Rec Centre receives $280K for repairs
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) board of directors approved allocating $280K from the Community Works Fund to the Robson Valley Recreation Centre in McBride during their December 19th board meeting.
The money will be used to replace metal cladding fasteners on the building’s exterior, replace doors and windows, repairing corroded canopy columns, and replacing exterior concrete slabs, among other improvements to the building’s exterior. The repairs are estimated to cost $330K in total, the remaining $50K of which will come from the Local Government Climate Action Program, a provincial fund which pays for projects that aim to improve a building’s climate resiliency.
Constructed in 1983, the Rec Centre was last renovated in 2007 when the Regional District moved its gym to the second floor and upgraded the changing rooms. The Regional District has been setting aside money for improvements to the building’s roof since 2022, according to a staff report submitted to the board in November.
The Regional District hired contractors from McElhanney Ltd, Chernoff Thompson Architects North and Mons Aase Roof Inspections to complete an assessment of the roof in August 2024. They identified areas for improvement that would cost $2M in total, including insulating the roof, upgrading the exterior wall and foundation insulation, and expanding the Fit Pit to remove the alcove on the second floor.
However, the Regional District will only be completing the most urgent repairs – such as replacing the roofs over entrance canopies and replacing the building’s exterior metal cladding fasteners – in 2025. The Regional District will discuss funding for other building maintenance projects with the Rec Centre’s Community Consultation Committee, a group of local residents, government officials and District staff, throughout the next two years.
Additionally, RDFFG staff predict that over the next 20 years, the Rec Centre will accrue $7.2M in maintenance costs which will not be covered by the Centre’s annual budgets. In light of this, the RDFFG is working with the Community Consultation Committee to produce an asset management plan – that is, an investment portfolio that will generate revenue for capital improvement projects – over the next year.
During the board’s December meeting, Electoral Area H director Dannielle Alan said she was relieved to hear the building’s roof and exterior cladding do not need to be replaced entirely.
“If we just do the maintenance and exterior that we’re talking about, [it] will prolong the building’s life and reduce other funding requests,” she added.
Valemount director Owen Torgerson said he was happy to hear roof improvements would cost less than he had expected.
“If you don’t have a roof, you don’t have a Rec Centre,” he said. “Thank you to staff for identifying a much more financially amicable maintenance program.”
Now that funding for the project has been approved, Regional District staff will work to find a contractor who can complete the work this spring or summer, according to the November staff report.
In an interview with The Goat, McBride Mayor Gene Runtz said he was impressed that staff found a cost-effective way to improve the building.
“Many of the things that were initially talked about weren’t required to be done. They’ve concentrated on the main things that needed to be done for the short and long term, and did it very well and very concisely,” Runtz said. “They’re great to work with.”
He added that the Rec Centre is a valuable facility for McBride residents, and he looks forward to seeing an asset management plan for the building drafted later this year.
“The only way to be responsible is to bring money in, put it in a rainy day fund and have it available for these assets to keep them up. It’s a really positive thing,” he said. “It guarantees that in the future, you can keep these assets up for people.”
