Part of N.S. Textiles mill roof collapses
Windsor's iconic and dilapidated Nova Scotia Textiles mill building has lost a “good percentage” of its roof, according to West Hants Mayor Abraham Zebian.
Zebian said it's not clear when it exactly happened, but he learned from a social media post on Saturday that a portion of the exterior roof of the historical landmark had collapsed.
“We went by yesterday to see what the actual story was and (there was) partial roof collapse,” he said in a phone interview Sunday.
“First thing we did was notify the owners to come secure the building, which they have done.”
According to Zebian, the owner of the building, United Gulf Developments, has boarded up the entrance and has on-site security there at the moment.
Structural engineers and members from the West Hants Regional Municipality's building and planning departments were also at the site on Sunday “assessing the actual damage and any further damage that may have occurred,” Zebian noted.
The mayor added he's unsure exactly how much of the building's roof collapsed, but that it's “a good percentage and it looks like a portion of the second floor as well.”
The 140-year-old former textile building, which can't be missed when travelling along Highway 101, at one time employed hundreds of people in Hants County.
Zebian said the building was a symbol of “pride and prosperity at some point” and houses a lot of history and memories for generations of Nova Scotians.
While many residents have voiced their opinions as to what should be done to the building, Zebian said it's ultimately up to United Gulf Developments, which acquired the private property in 2018.
“There's differing views on what should be done. You hear condominiums, you hear
affordable housing, you hear farmers' markets, some people throw out that it should be a municipal complex, others would like to see it removed and resurrected in a new form,” he said.
“It's solely up to the owners of the property.”
For now, as the building is still being assessed for damages, the West Hants Regional
Municipality is asking residents to avoid the site, which is unsafe in its current condition, and is reminding people that trespassing will not be tolerated.
“Human minds are curious by nature, but just avoid the building. It's in a state of unknown right now, so we would not want to see anybody hurt,” said Zebian.