Town Hall fire worse than people realize, says Street

By Mark Squibb

Councillors with the Town of Paradise are moving to get more information out about the state of the Town Hall in the wake of last winter’s fire which has left operations relocated to another building.
The fire occurred February 9 this year in the Town depot adjacent to the Town Hall.
Last week, the Town posted information on the it’s website in a bid to impress upon the public the seriousness of the damage that was caused by the blaze.
“We understand that the public may not understand the extent of the damage, therefore the Town has added a dedicate page to our website to provide more details,” said Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street during the November 25 committee meeting. “We thank our residents for their understanding as we strive to continue to provide stellar customer service during this time.”
As per the Town’s website, the fire began in a tandem dump truck. As the dump truck burnt, it created a toxic smoke that infiltrated the entirety of the depot and Town Hall. The building’s main electrical system was significantly damaged, and the entire electrical system has since been removed. On the first floor, ceiling tiles, light fixtures, and some drywall has been removed. On the second floor, which was hit harder, everything down to wall studs has been removed.
Staff expect the insurance company will have an assessment completed by the end of the year. Once staff have that report, they will be able to draft a remediation plan.
Earlier this year, council approved the completion of electrical and mechanical engineering designs at a cost of $86,250, HST included, in the hopes of possibly upgrading the Town Hall rather than rebuilding as is.
Since the fire, staff have been working out of a rental property at 1655 Topsail Road – oddly enough, it’s the site of the original town hall – and public works and engineering staff have been relocated to 1270 Kenmount Road.
The temporary town hall was closed for part of November 24 due to a maintenance issue.