MOUNT PEARL, N.L. — It’s been nearly six months since the Hotel Mount Pearl was consumed by flames that burned the building beyond repair, yet the scent of char still hovers in the air around 7 Park Ave.
A metal gate surrounds the area, while inside, brick, metal, wood and siding fold in on top of each other in mounds. Unkempt grass is beginning to grow over a collapsed sign advertising the hotel's dining room, lounge, banquet room and rooms. A blackened but still intact staircase leads toward a room no longer there.
RNC Const. James Cadigan says the damage from the fire was so extensive that, without further information, it is difficult to determine the cause of the blaze.
“Right now, we do believe it to be suspicious. However, (the cause) is undetermined,” he said.
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Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker says while investigations to determine the cause of the fire, and the process of getting a building properly demolished, takes time, the building in its current dilapidated state remains a safety hazard.
“Where that fire occurred on Dec. 28, it was really just weeks before we had Snowmageddon, and I suspect that may have also delayed some of the processes involved,” Aker said. “But once those investigations (into the cause) are over, basically the building owner is entitled to go ahead and tear it down.”
There are a couple of components in the process, Aker says. The owners have to seek a permit with the city, and hazardous material must be isolated before being removed. At that point, the rest of the building can come down.
Aker says the city was prepared for the building to be demolished in February, but the property owner said the demolition would be put on hold.
On May 14, the owners told the city the anticipated cleanup would begin on June 1.
“On May 21, the city issued an order to that effect, stating the demolition and cleanup was to be finalized and approved by June 1,” Aker said.
Instead, the owners filed an appeal to the order on June 1.
“Council has authorized the order (and) we stand by it,” Aker says. “The property’s in horrible shape, it’s a safety hazard and it’s our duty to ensure we make that area safe for our residents and we intend to see all this through. I would hope that this would get processed as soon as possible, but I do know because of the pandemic the appeal process has slowed down in the last few months.”
Aker says it usually doesn’t take this long for a building with this amount of damage to come down.
“The timeframe typically for this could be months, depending on when it happens, but typically it’s not this long,” he said.
Once the appeal is heard, if the City of Mount Pearl is successful with its order, Aker says the city is prepared to go ahead with arranging for the demolition.
“We still believe it’s the property owner’s responsibility, but the city can’t sit idly by and see a safety hazard continue for this length of time,” Aker says.
Harold Spracklin lives near the building and remembers getting a phone call from his neighbour early in the morning on the day of the fire.
“She said, ‘You better get up and turn off your (ventilation system) and have a look out,’ and the whole place was just blazing, and it was pretty much going all day,” Spracklin said.
Spracklin has been living in the area for eight years and says the length of time the building has been sitting in this state is ridiculous.
“It’s been six months,” he said. “It’s only an eyesore now.”
Along with some others, he has been in contact with the City of Mount Pearl regarding the issue and hopes it will be demolished as soon as possible.
The city still has the option to initiate the demolition, Aker said.
“We are in a position, according to our act, to put a lien on the property, so ultimately the city’s taxpayers won’t be out of pocket,” he said. “We’ll be able to put a lien on the property and recover those funds.”
Twitter: @AndrewLWaterman
