The City of Burnaby is continuing its multi-year campaign to upgrade the aging mechanical systems at Deer Lake Centre.
Burnaby council approved $700,000 in funding for the upgrades at the July 16 council meeting.
The centre, which is comprised of two five-storey buildings that the city purchased in 1993, has had significant improvements made since 2006.
The buildings were built in the late '70s, according to a report from the city's director of finance, Denise Jorgenson.
The work covered by this year's funding will include modernizing the elevator mechanical systems, upgrading washroom floors, refurbishing the hallways and lobbies, expansion joint sealing, and conducting an engineering study for a building envelope upgrade, as well as investigating and developing specifications for a wheelchair ramp, according to the report.
The project is included in the city's 2012 to 2016 capital programs.
RCMP CHANGES
The Burnaby RCMP is moving forward with plans to retro-fit the detachment's cell block.
City council approved $1.4 million in funding for the project at the July 16 council meeting.
The funds are coming from Burnaby's capital reserves, according to a report from the city's major civic building project coordination committee, and are part of the 2012 capital plan.
A review conducted by the RCMP's assets and procurement management section in 2005 determined safety needed to be improved at the Burnaby cell block.
Plans include replacing the open steel-bar doors with solid cell doors, replacing the suspended steel bunks with solid concrete units, eliminating blind spots and hanging points, and replacing plumbing fixtures.
The project is currently in the design stage, according to the report.
UNSIGHTLY LOT
An unoccupied property at 5420 Canada Way will be getting a mandatory makeover.
The City of Burnaby received an unsightly premise complaint in January, after which city staff inspected the property, according to a report from the city's director of finance, Denise Jorgenson.
"An initial inspection of the property - revealed that the property contained a vacant dwelling that was open to intrusion and had a substantial accumulation of unsightly materials including carpeting, broken furniture, building materials, bags of household garbage and other various debris," the report stated.
The owner removed the debris and boarded up the vacant building after receiving a compliance letter from the city, but the property has since deteriorated. The owner has not complied with a second compliance letter, according to the report.
Janaya Fuller-Evans
