A new $4.3 recreation centre at Rosseau Lake College has been destroyed after suffering a significant structural failure just over one year after its official opening.
In a statement to the school community, Head of School Dave Krocker said the facility is no longer safe to operate.
“Unfortunately, our Recreation Center has suffered significant structural failure and is no longer operable,” Krocker said. “Nobody was injured and everyone is safe.”
According to Krocker, concerns about the building were first identified several weeks ago, prompting the school to bring in professionals to investigate. As a precaution, the recreation centre was immediately closed.
The school locked the doors, fenced the perimeter and communicated the closure to staff, students and parents through multiple verbal and written updates.
Krocker said safety remains the school’s top priority.
Despite the setback, the school plans to rebuild the facility.
“We will rebuild and ensure a new facility is available for our students and friends as quickly as possible,” he said. “The spirit of RLC is all about the people, and we have an incredible culture here that leans into relationships and community.”
The recreation centre had officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 25, 2025. The $4.3-million project was supported by a principal donation of $2 million, the largest single gift in the school’s history.
The building included a modern fitness area, multi-purpose gymnasium, wellness spaces and student lounges. The gym was designed to function as a full-size basketball court, with the ability to convert into badminton, pickleball or volleyball courts, and included retractable bleachers for spectators.
Other features included team gathering areas, strength and conditioning space, barrier-free washrooms, universal change rooms and outdoor seating and learning spaces.
The centre was also intended to host private events, community gatherings and conferences, making it a potential hub for both the school and the broader region.
School officials say further information about rebuilding plans will be shared with the community as it becomes available.
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Maybe they should have spent more than $4.3 on it.
Goes to show you that all architects, engineers, builders are not created equal! In this part of the world you would think that snow load would be a primary consideration when building anything.
I wonder if they used their engineering class , or construction students to build it?
This article fails to answer so many questions. First why did it fail, we must assume heavy snow loads? Who designed and built this? How did building permitsnget approved? Who is getting fired over this? Millions of dollars and it did not survive one Canadian winter, failure on so many levels. The engineer / architect should be held accountable for a design flaw. Likely hire the same company to rebuild.
Rebuild???!!! Where’s the liability for the company hired to build it? Surely, 1 year is an unacceptable life expectancy for a new building.