Outdoor ceiling collapses at Paul Reynolds Centre, forcing closure
City of St. John's says the centre will be closed until further notice
The Paul Reynolds Community Centre in St. John's is going to be closed until further notice, after part of the entrance ceiling collapsed Friday evening.
In a statement, City of St. John's spokesperson Jackie O'Brien said it was partial collapse, and that the facility is now closed for repairs and to secure the area.
"The City takes safety concerns very seriously and will continue to investigate the cause of the incident," said O'Brien.
The centre will remain closed over the weekend, with an update to be provided on Monday, June 28.
Centre plagued by problems
This is not the first structural problem the Centre has experienced since it opened in 2017.
The centre had a delayed opening, after it experienced various construction delays.
And a month after opening, the building's contractor sued the city of St. John's for $4.9M, stating that it owed them money. On the other hand, the city said the contractor failed to complete the centre on time.
The suit was settled in 2024.
In 2019, the city had to pay another $945K to repair the centre's HVAC system, after the centre experienced multiple closures due to a series of issues and repairs. Excessive moisture caused corrosion of the buildings infrastructure, forcing the closure of the pool area.
The pool was closed again after it was determined that the building's ceiling-mounted sound panelling was in danger of collapsing into the pool below.
The Paul Reynolds Community Centre officially opened in 2017, coming in at a cost of $32-million.
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