fatboy said:
Wonder how old the installation is.........
Built in the 1980s, the shopping complex housed a grocery shop, restaurants and other stores. Water leakages from the roof were reported in recent months.
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In 1996 report commissioned by the Town, Downtown Core and Industrial Area Improvements, presented a less-than-favourable assessment of the structure's exterior:
A very significant building mass within the downtown core is formed by the Algo Mall/Algo Inn. Situated above Ontario Avenue and fronted by parking lots, this large building mass is clad mostly in brown pre*finished metal siding. The entrances are remote and do not address the street. The scale of the building, its introverted nature and the lack of tactile materials, detail, and transparency at the pedestrian level, do little to contribute to the urban environment. The Mall and the Hotel are a terrific amenities and likely contribute greatly to the attraction of shoppers and visitors to the downtown core, but the design is less than sensitive to its urban environment.[17]
Roof issues and other deficiencies
For many years, the mall roof has had issues with leaks. Owner Bob Nazarian suggests leaks in the mall started at least by 1990.[18]
The Standard newspaper in 2008 reported on "greater than normal" leaks caused damages to multiple units. Starlight Cafe closed permanently, despite being profitable soon after opening, as customers would occasionally need umbrellas to stand at the take-out counter. Drip-tarps installed by the mall in the kitchen of the restaurant were ineffective. She was not made aware of the leaks before starting her lease in 2007.[18]Scotiabank had closed for a few weeks in 2008 as a precaution.[19][18] (Scotiabank began construction on a new location in July 2011, to replace their mall location.)[20] Some businesses suggested that additional leaks started after new owner started repairs to the roof. Tenants noticed a reduced amount of traffic after leaks started, and buckets were scattered throughout the mall.[18]
Some mall business owners were said to not be vocal about their disappointments, unless "water is dripping right on their head (or) if the water is destroying their business."[18] The owner was aware of the mall's roof problems when purchasing the facility, and suggested there would be renovations to the mall, but would not commit to a date for completing roof repairs or interior upgrades.[18]
Leaks in the mall roof and mould caused Elliott Lake councillors to consider moving the facility out of the mall, in 2009,[21] where they had been from 1992.[18] Many books were damaged, despite library staff using tarps to cover shelves. At some points, entire sections were blocked for public health reasons.[18] Much of the leaking was said to be corrected, before council considered the issue, and an environmental study was completed. Some library board members and councillors worried that liability insurance wouldn't cover them in the mall, despite reassurances by library management and the city's insurance broker. With a multi-use complex in the works, some of the library board was concerned with a 5-year lease that mall management was pursuing, despite the library's preference for a 2.5-year lease. In the end, the library remained at the mall.[21] Previously, the library was in the Solomon Building.[22]
In spite of the issues, the mall would use the roof for events. In 2011 and 2012, it served as the site for the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Big Bike ride.[12][23]
Over $1 million was spent to repair the roof.[24]
Mall owners continued repair and maintenance work in 2012, spending $120,000 into repairs within the 12-month period leading up to June 2012. An engineering and structural study "turned up nothing", according to the mall manager.[24] Even after the repair, there were photos of serious interior damage to the mall's roof.[25]
In March 2012, the mall management pleaded guilty in provincial court, after their fire alarms and sprinklers did not meet code.[24] The mall spent $50,000 to upgrade the infrastructure to avoid further fines.[24] The process included adding a new roof to the hotel, gutting the second and third floors, including the hotel lounge.[26]
2012 roof collapse
At about 2:20pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012, part of a roof collapsed at Algo Centre Mall, sending metal and concrete debris crashing down through two floors of the shopping center. Four people received non-life-threatening injuries and no fatalities have yet been confirmed, although one is feared dead.[27]
Soon after the collapse, the owners traveled to the mall. Levon Nazarian made a comment on behalf of his father, listed in some media reports as Richard.[28] Bob Nazarian commented that "I'd rather not [comment], because we have talked to our lawyers and we’re going to be in the City Hall to represent ourselves. But nevertheless, we are very much concerned [about] this accident."[29]
The area which collapsed included two kiosks.[29]
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