Town flip flops on Rec Complex.
The McLeod River Post
The Edson and District Recreation Complex (Rec Complex) situation is just that, complex. Ever since the Town of Edson considered a quick sale for the building just before the municipal elections last year, the building has see sawed back and forth to sold, not sold, contaminated with asbestos, asbestos fixed, not wanted by the golf club and now tax payers are facing a one-million-dollar bill to demolish the darn place.
Going back to last year, the Rec Complex was not up for sale or even considered to be going on the market, it was business as usual. Then, an offer from out of the blue had the Town of Edson looking to be all in favour of selling then not in favour as many people questioned why the rush and why so cheap? If the building was contaminated with exposed asbestos then presumably, hopefully, the town did not know it. For those than mourn the loss of a buyer it is highly likely that the asbestos issue would have come up as the buyer did their due diligence, kyboshing the sale anyway.
Then, seemingly determined to rid itself of an asset it never really wanted the town went to a request for proposal (RFP) process. This too was kyboshed when an inspection from the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) found exposed asbestos and ordered the building closed. We are still waiting for transparency from the town as to how bad the contamination is/was and what the ramifications may be for people that have used the building.
Yet, there was still hope. On April 17 the town announced that asbestos abatement work would be underway soon, in budget, and the Rec Complex would be open again in around a month.
The next release from the town confirmed that the only submission under the RFP process was one from the Edson Golf Club to take on the facility again for one dollar, the price the town paid the Golf Club to take it on with assistance from Yellowhead County.
Next, out of the blue on May 15, revealing that the Edson Golf Club had no interest in operating the facility beyond the 2018 season, Edson Town Council voted, to submit a plan to Yellowhead County to have the rec Complex demolished in the fall for a cost thought to be around one million dollars.
We have since heard that in order for some people to remove items from the building that further asbestos abatement work must be done first. Also, if presumably, when the Rec Complex is demolished is the site going to be of any use for another building because of potentially asbestos contaminated soil? In a supposedly transparent municipal environment we seem to have more questions than answers. Some explanatory statements would be welcome.
Next, out of the blue on May 15, revealing that the Edson Golf Club had no interest in operating the facility beyond the 2018 season, Edson Town Council voted, to submit a plan to Yellowhead County to have the rec Complex demolished in the fall for a cost thought to be around one million dollars.