Written By David Gomez
STRATHROY - Questions surrounding the condition and future renovation of 137 Frank St. led to an extended discussion at Strathroy-Caradoc council on May 19, as councillors debated whether further engineering review was needed before renovation work continues at the municipally owned building.
The discussion followed a staff report outlining deficiencies identified in earlier engineering assessments and proposed approaches to addressing them. The report traced concerns back to a 2019 Building Condition Assessment and referenced a 2024 report describing visible brick deterioration, step cracking, possible settlement issues and water infiltration concerns.
Deputy Mayor Mike McGuire told council he reviewed several previous reports before the meeting and argued the municipality should obtain a more detailed review of the building’s structural condition before moving further with renovations.
“There is potential for foundational issues, and there are definitely some issues with, I’ll call it, the facade, the brick facade on the building, all of which could be dangerous to people that would be occupying it in the future,” McGuire said.
McGuire referred repeatedly to the 2019 engineering report and a 2024 staff report that cited brick spalling, mortar deterioration and the possibility of underlying structural concerns. The 2024 report noted that no recommendations from the original building assessment had been implemented and that the building’s condition had worsened since 2019.
Mayor Colin Grantham supported obtaining additional review, saying references to “dangerous” conditions and possible municipal liability justified further investigation.
Council ultimately approved a motion directing staff to engage engineering services through the municipality’s existing architectural agreement with a+LiNK to review the building’s structural integrity and foundation conditions.
Some councillors, however, questioned whether the concerns described were outside the scope of normal maintenance for an older building.
Councillor Steve Pelkman said many of the issues listed in the reports reflected routine lifecycle maintenance common in municipal facilities.
“Every piece of equipment on every building has a lifespan,” Pelkman said, adding that brick repair and equipment replacement are typical long-term capital responsibilities.
Councillor Brian Derbyshire raised concerns about the cumulative cost of future repairs, noting the reports identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifecycle replacement items over coming years.
Staff maintained that many concerns identified in the reports were already being addressed through the current renovation scope. Director of Community Services Rob Lilbourne said items such as leaking pipes had previously been repaired and argued that many of the projected engineering costs represented conservative consultant pricing rather than actual municipal construction costs.
Council later defeated a separate motion that would have paused renovation work until the new engineering review is completed. Staff told council no health and safety concerns had been formally identified by employees or through the municipality’s Joint Health and Safety Committee.
