Visitors centre still grappling with frost heave damages
Interior of structure now main focus as tourism numbers increase
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Monday, September 14, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife's main welcoming hub for tourists is seeing one of its busiest seasons, but Northern Frontier Visitors Centre staff are asking how long the centre can afford to be maintained.
Tracy Therrien, executive director of the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre, stands underneath the cracked windows facing Frame Lake. The damage has been steadily getting worse over the years, especially last year, as frost heave has literally caused a portion of the building to pull away from the rest. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo |
The two-storey structure's foundation has always been shifting because of unstable footing from its pilings, which stand at the bottom of the Frame Lake marsh and uphold a third of the building.
The winter of 2013-2014 was "an exceptionally bad year for frost heaving," according to the centre's executive director Tracy Therrien a bad year from which the centre hasn't fully recovered.
During that winter, the portion of the building perched on pilings was separated by more than 20 centimetres from the rest of the building, two wall-sized windows and one smaller office window cracked, and drywall broke or fell apart in numerous spots.
While some of the damages have been addressed, windows and interior dry-walling remain cracked.
"Our building is now stable, but we still have a lot of leftover damage to contend with in the interior of the building," said Therrien.
Two large broken windows are being replaced with walls to provide additional wall and exhibit space. Some drywalling, which had fallen or cracked in more than one spot because of the shifting, were replaced with plywood, although one wall was repaired with new drywall this year.
Despite repairs and a more stable foundation, Therrien said she worries whether ongoing costs can continue to be covered.
"Once we received our funding, we since cut the pilings to secure the building and bring us back to level," she said, adding further shattering of the windows may have continued due to further shifting earlier this year.
Work took place March 2014
The pilings were stabilized March of last year with a jacking system as part of a two-year funding program, which included $200,000 from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), $150,000 from the GNWT Department of Industry Tourism and Investment, and $67,000 from Environment and Natural Resources. Money also went to to fix shifting of the building as well as to install a new pellet boiler and new lighting system.
Kyle Thomas, president of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association board, which advises Therrien, said the jacking system allows staff to adjust the pilings to limit shifting of the building.
Tight budget
Therrien said despite a historically high amount of traffic through the visitors centre this year, she is running on a tight budget. The jacking system is a cheaper option than draining the marsh where the pilings sit, she said, adding the centre was unable to get a cost for draining from engineers.
She said to get a higher grade of windows that can contend with the intense fluctuation between warm and cold temperatures would cost about half-a-million dollars.
"We are a not-for-profit and we are going to need continued support to continue to fix the building. We are nowhere near in-the-clear."
Based on last year's figures, Therrien said the aurora season from mid-August to mid-April should result in at least 20,000 people coming through the centre's doors. This means the building will not only have high visibility among first-time visitors, but also contributes to tourists' first-impression of the city and the North.
"We can literally help or break a visitors' visit," she said.
In August 4,061 people came through the visitors centre, up from 3,096 in August of last year. The 2014 aurora season reached a monthly peak of 4,500 people last February.
Annual operating expenses amount to a little more than $1 million and ITI covers $161,000 of that sum as part of an annual fund to cover the centre's operational costs.
The city provided $83,388 as part of the first instalment of a three-year contribution agreement this summer, which is to increase by four per cent every year.
Council turned down an appeal for more money for repairs in the 2015 budget.
"It is a very valuable facility and organization in what they do for the community," said Mayor Mark Heyck. "We have recognized that in a couple of ways one by providing some of the core funding and ensuring the money does increase over time. We also partner with the visitor centre throughout the year and provide sponsorship, like the Great Shore Cook-off."
