INUVIK - The $8.2 million Family centre is leaking and the town office is left holding the bucket.

Mayor Derek Lindsay said an ice build up under the roof and above the ceiling of the pool area has caused water damage to the facility.

Midnight Sun Rec complex staff member Colin McGillivray stands with a bucket used to catch water dripping from the ceiling of the Inuvik Family centre. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"This has been a problem for us every year since it was built," said Lindsay.

"The problem is where the roof was installed and connected to the existing rec complex."

The family centre addition, which was completed in March of 2005 has had problems with water leaking this past year as well.

Lindsay said one of the squash courts was closed temporarily while the repairs were made.

Lindsay explained that warm air and steam from the pool area was rising up through a crack in the wall connecting the family centre to the complex.

"At first we thought it was ice on the roof," said Lindsay.

"We learned the ice is actually in the rafters of the building, which is causing leaks and damage."

The mayor said the problem is becoming more and more apparent as the weather warms up.

"There is water leaking in the washrooms in the fitness centre, more near the curling club lounge and we have buckets on nearly every stair in one area," said Lindsay.

"It ruined a lot of tiles and dry wall," he said.

While no total cost has been made or estimated yet, Lindsay said steps to fix the problem are in motion.

"We've called our engineer, he will come in within the next week or so," said Lindsay.

The town's insurance adjuster has also been called in.

Lindsay said a roofer was brought in two years ago to fix the leaks in the roof, but"It was a band-aid solution," he said.

"The council wants to get this fixed once and for all," he said.

"It will all be fixed this summer."

Lindsay said the problem seems to be in the construction of the centre, not the architecture, but the company that built the centre has gone out of business.

"There's no way we can go back to a company that doesn't exist," he said.

Town councillor George Doolittle is concerned about the centre as well.

"My biggest concern is that we have an envelope problem in the roof of the new family centre," said Doolittle.

"We've always had problems with the roof."

Doolittle said that people have known about heat transfer and condensation for long enough that this should not have been an issue.

"Why was the building built knowing that some of those things were happening."

Doolittle said the family centre was built too quickly.

"It wasn't planned out correctly," said Doolittle.

"They poured that concrete base in the middle of winter, which can be done but it doesn't have to be done."

Doolittle said he thinks the centre would be better off if it wasn't pushed for completion.

"In my mind, it would have been less expensive and better built if the time period was extended," he said.

Doolittle said that plans to fix the problem are being discussed in council, but more work needs to be done.

"We're talking about the problem within council," he said.