In the summer of last year, the District of Kitimat determined that they would demolishing the rundown section of the Kitimat Nechako Centre since it had been sitting there as a vacant building for a number of years.
And while initial plans were for the demolition to be completed by November 2024, some complications ended up arising in those plans.
“While they were doing the original plans to demolish it, they had all the plans of how it was built and everything, but what they didn’t have is plans of what type of renovations where things were added on after and that’s where the issue came, where they found some extra asbestos so there was definitely an extra cost and a little bit of time but the extra abatement has already been done and July 28th, they will be here to knock down the rest of it” - Phil Germuth, Kitimat Mayor
But even with the resumption of the demolition, the future of that particular space after the work gets finished is still unclear but the District seems quite keen on taking suggestions.
“I think it might be a great place for a future City Hall for Kitimat, and then of course, that would be an anchor tenant to bring in probably restaurants and coffee shops and stuff like that so right now there is no absolute plan for what we’re doing after, but Council wanted to act and do something, at least get the eyesore out of the way and then see what opportunities come from there” - Phil Germuth, Kitimat Mayor
Kitimat’s Mayor Phil Germuth also did acknowledge that the demolition will likely invoke bittersweet feelings for some, himself included, because despite the fact that the municipality will have one less eyesore once it’s gone, the centre was still Kitimat’s first real shopping centre, with it opening up back in the 1950’s.
The Mayor also mainly attributes the centre’s degradation to a significant population decrease from a few years ago, around the time when Eurocan and Methanex closed.
And although the demolition work has resumed, it’s still not 100 percent certain as to when the teardown will finally be completed.