Immediate Closure to John Sleeth Community and cultural Centre Required
Sutton, March 18, 2021 — The Town of Sutton has just received a “notice of denunciation” (in French only) with respect to the hazardous conditions of the John Sleeth Community and Cultural Centre. This means that the occupants of the John Sleeth building will have to be evacuated. The notice was sent by PROSPECPLUS CONSEILS, the company mandated by the Council to carry out a new inspection of the building.
Even before the final publication of its report, PROSPECPLUS found itself obliged to inform the Town of the imminent hazards detected in the building, which could threaten the safety of its occupants. The inspection notice itself reveals three high-risk factors, the most serious being the state of deterioration and obsolescence of the chimney, which directly threatens the safety of the occupants located below, namely the Kindergarten and the Sutton Library. The presence of water infiltration also raises fears of fungal proliferation, although any risk of asbestos contamination due to vermiculite had already been ruled out by previous analyses.
« We were shocked to see the photos of the condition of the fireplace,” says the Town’s Director General, Pascal Smith. “We cannot ignore the potential danger of contamination either. It is our duty, as owner and responsible manager, to proceed with the immediate evacuation of all occupants of the centre. »
The Director General immediately called a meeting with representatives of the five organizations to inform them of the situation. “We had a routine meeting scheduled for next week and this just turns things upside down,” said Mr. Smith. “Starting tomorrow morning and until further notice, the children and educators of the Jardins d’enfants will be transferred—with the help of our services—to the Goyette-Hill park chalet, which is already preparing to receive them. We will work with the Volunteer Action Centre (CAB), the Sutton Library and the Maison des jeunes to minimize the impact of this situation on their services to our citizens. The Arts Sutton, being located in an annex building, will remain open.”
Access to the John Sleeth Community and Cultural Centre will be prohibited until further notice. A security perimeter will be set up to prevent accidents should anything fall from the chimney. The Town will continue to keep the people of Sutton informed of any new developments.