Worries over structural integrity and the discovery of asbestos have resulted in Penticton Soccer Club’s field house being boarded up by the City of Penticton.
“The middle of September was when the first rain event occurred, then the snow damage from last week and with the hazard (asbestos) assessment undertaken it was important to make sure there was no public access into that building,” said Anthony Haddad, the city’s general manager of community services, in an interview Thursday.
“Finding asbestos in these older buildings is not uncommon, that material does exist.”
The King’s Park clubhouse was built and paid for in the early 1980s by PSC members and donated back to the municipality.
The two-level structure has an upstairs hall for special events and the first floor has changing rooms, washrooms, a concession stand and equipment storage room.
According to Haddad, the city is working closely with the main user groups to determine a future course of action.
“For the most part the assessment has been done and we’re in the process of putting some cost estimates together on what the remediation repair work may look like,” he said. “The building was identified for capital replacement in the next four to five years.
“There will be discussion with the groups: Is it worth re-investing in or should we look at a new facility?”
Additional meetings are planned with the city and the user groups to get a better idea of timing, needs and municipal budget implications.
“King’s Park is considered one of the best soccer facilities in Western Canada and the clubhouse is a big part of that,” said Manuel Borba, Pinnacles Football Club (Pacific Coast Soccer League) and youth soccer head coach.
“Last year we had 1,600 kids registered and there’s a men’s league, a women’s league, a co-ed league and an old-timers league, they all use this place. So I’m hoping this will be a chance for the city to upgrade.”
He estimates that in the summer as many as 700 young players use the four soccer fields every Saturday.
“We need changing rooms and washrooms open, that’s the minimum we need to have by spring,” said Borba. “That building was built by the soccer club and donated to the city and the city now owes it to us to keep the building up to date.”
After the snow impacted the structural integrity of the building’s roof, city staff went in to remove equipment and memorabilia stored inside and take it to a safe place.
The nearby Sportsplex indoor soccer facility is not affected and remains open.
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