Condemned building leaves Winnipeg scout group in need of new storage space

A scout group in Elmwood is looking for help after the building they use for storage was condemned and closed

The 1st John de Graff Scouts Canada group has been using the Valley Gardens Community Centre’s lodge for nearly two decades.

However, last fall the building was deemed unsafe to due foundation issues and was condemned by the city. The city said the most likely cause for the issues is water entering the building, which is located at a low spot.

The youth organization uses the building to store all of the gear used for meetings and events. Now, they have to find somewhere new.

“It’s a real loss to our community that this exterior building is going to be boarded up in a couple of days,” said Daryl Adair, who works with the 1st John de Graff Scouts Adair said the group was told about a week ago that they have to move their stuff out of the Valley Gardens Community Centre’s lodge.

He added they are looking for support from an organization in East Kildonan or Elmwood to help store about 200 square feet of gear. This includes bins filled with meeting supplies, camping gear and tents.

“We’re just getting the word out now. I’ve been calling about eight or nine different places and unfortunately no luck with every organization,” Adair said.

Adair noted that anything the scouting group spends on storage is money that gets taken away from the youth.

For now, the group plans to keep their gear in a storage facility until a replacement space is found, with Coun. Jason Schreyer covering the rental costs with ward allowance money.

Schreyer, who is offering two months of storage space to the group, hopes a long-term solution is found soon.

“We really would like to find a local business or church that can help us, but at the same time I’m going to be looking at why the city doesn’t optimize their empty building,” he said.

Any organization with storage space available is asked to contact Adair.