"We are, at times, pretty close to being closed down because of health concerns."
That is how airport manager Rick Reed describes the dire state of the Prince Rupert Airport, and those who attended an Oct. 23 open house about a $7 million airport improvement loan from the City of Prince Rupert saw just how much the loan is considered a necessity.
Among the information boards set out was one related to the seismic inadequacy of the building, which is at the minimal level of life safety in the event of a tremor.
"The building will likely be a total loss in the event of a significant earthquake," it read.
Another board pointed to many issues related to the potable water found at the site and the need to address that issue.
"Canadian drinking water guidelines are not being met at several levels," it read.
And if Prince Rupert is looking to compete with the Northwest Regional Airport in Terrace, one of the information boards made it clear the current building just would not do.
"The washrooms, passenger holding rooms and offices ... are completely deficient and embarrassing by the standard of our regional peers," it read.
But Reed said those concerns are just the tip of the iceberg.
"The building envelope itself is 50 years old and it is failing ... we had a roofing expert come in and he told us we have no time left with the current roof. But we knew that because it has been leaking for some time. We have had Rupert Wood N' Steel coming in to do patch jobs, and when it rains we usually find a new leak for them to fix," he said, noting the wood in the frame is also rotting.
"We have had such tremendous problems with the toilets, both the men's and women's washrooms. Typically we have just two water closets working in the women's washroom and that is because of the problems with the sewer ... the bathroom that was built in the holding room didn't open because the sewer has collapsed."
The cost of overhauling the building is expected to be $4.25 million, including the installation of luggage carousel in the baggage check area, with another $500,000 needed for a water treatment plant. The remainder of the loan from the city will be used to repair the access road, which one member of the Prince Rupert Airport Authority said was at crisis level, and repave the runway.
Should the loan be approved, with less than 901 people signing opposition forms at City Hall, it will be paid back over 20 years with an annual repayment of $488,500. The money would come from airport users based on a three per cent growth in traffic through to 2018 and the airport user fee being raised from the current $14 to $24 and holding it there after 2018.