SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A long-term fix to structural issues that have continued to haunt the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre could be on the way.

Northern Frontier Visitors Centre executive director Tracy Therrien stands in front of an area of the building that has been closed off due to safety hazards caused by frost heaving. The visitors centre has received funding from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) to conduct a feasibility study that would come up with long-term solutions to the problem. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) has provided the centre with $75,000 to conduct a feasibility study that will look at whether the building's structural issues - caused by heaving frost - can be fixed, whether a portion of the building needs to be replaced or whether a new centre should be built.

"Once we have the study done, this will answer all of our questions and it will guide us in the direction that we need," said the centre's executive director, Tracy Therrien.

Last week, the non-profit organization put out a call for proposals to the community for a business plan that will determine the sustainability of the visitors centre.

Frost heaving that happens each spring has caused instability in the pilings that hold up part of the building above Frame Lake over the years, damaging its structure.

At the beginning of October, the centre was forced to close its Aurora Centre and exhibit areas indefinitely due to safety concerns resulting from the heaving. A number of long cracks could be seen running through the walls above the exhibit area on Monday, while another piece of the wall was pulling away from the building by a few centimetres.

In 2014, frost heaving caused part of the building to pull away from the rest of the structure by 20 centimetres and resulted in broken windows and drywall.

"Our pilings are built into the water and we frost heave in the spring, and it's lifted our building," Therrien said. "The movement is so slow we never notice it until it's done."

In 2013, the visitors centre received more than $400,000 from CanNor, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to address the its structural issues.

The two-year funding went toward stabilizing and repairing the building's pilings. It also aimed to reduce energy consumption with the installation of two wood pellet boilers, and improved lighting and water systems.

But it did not determine a long-term solution, Therrien said.

Those answers won't come until the study is underway, although Therrien said the visitors centre does not present any safety hazard as the aurora and exhibit areas are not open to the public.

"Nobody's utilizing that portion of the building," Therrien said. "We need to determine whether it's safe or not and we're waiting on a structural engineer to tell us that."

She is concerned about accommodating tourists during what she said is the upcoming busy season in a few weeks. With a large section of the building closed off, there is little space to host everyone, Therrien said.

The Northern Frontier Visitors Association is accepting business proposals until Nov. 23, after which a contractor will be chosen to complete the study. A final report is expected to be tabled by March 30, according to Therrien.

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