Shelburne’s King Street Centre expected to reopen on Jan. 6
With restoration work well underway, Shelburne’s King Street Centre is expected to reopen on Jan. 6 after a flood by a faulty sprinkler system forced the closure of the community resource centre on Dec. 7.
Damage to the building was not as severe as originally feared, said Shelburne Town CAO Darren Shupe.
“Because we moved aggressively to dry the building out, we are looking at replacing flooring and there is no requirement to go into the walls and carry out asbestos abatement,” he said via email. “This has allowed us to opt out of using insurance and to move quickly to replace the flooring.”
According to the province's Department Health and Wellness, levels of asbestos fibres in the air in buildings are usually about the same as in the air outside and are not a significant risk. Asbestos poses health risks only when fibres are present in the air people breathe. There are no significant health risks if asbestos fibres remain enclosed or tightly bound in a product.
Susan Elliott, executive director of Little People’s Place, the centre’s largest tenant, said the new flooring was being installed.
“The building got dried out really quickly. We were able to secure a quote for the flooring, that’s what needed to be replaced, all the vinyl flooring in there, so that’s going to be happening this week and then staff will be able to put the rooms back together and we’re planning to be open for Jan. 6,” said Elliott.
A lot of families were impacted by the closure, said Elliott. Forty-six families use Little People’s Place preschool and school age programs offered at the King Street Centre, she said.
“That’s a big deal in a small town.”
Built in the 1950’s, the King Street Centre was once the town’s elementary school. Owned by the Town of Shelburne, it is home to a number of programs and services to families in Shelburne County including the Community Action Program and Early Intervention Program.
“We are so thankful,” said Elliott. “Even though it was so wonderful for the town to offer us the opportunity to go to the community centre it would have meant a lot of work to move all the equipment and materials to that location. We’re really thankful we’ll be able to get back in the King Street Centre and hopefully move forward.”