Sudbury's Rainbow Centre mall needs $8M in repairs to steel structure

The Rainbow Centre mall in Sudbury is safe, despite problems with its steel structure, says the city's chief building inspector.

But Guido Mazza, who is also the director of building services for the city of Sudbury, says the steel supports in the mall and attached parking garage are deteriorating over time, and will need $8 million in repairs.

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The mall's owner has already put in temporary supports where necessary, until work on the aging facility can be done, he said.

As well, the Elm Street parking ramp was closed recently due to a structural problem, but it too will be fixed, said Mazza,

The situation at the Rainbow Centre is not at all comparable to the Algo Centre Mall in Elliott Lake, where a rooftop parking garage collapsed in June 2012, killing two people, he said.

"I would say that the mall is not similar in any way to the Elliott Lake mall. It's a wholly different type of structural framing for that building," said Mazza.

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Crews have started working on the two level parking structure, he said.

"That work involves the removal of some of the concrete weatherproofing, expansion joints, and reinforcing of the structural steel that's been corroded over a period of time," said Mazza.

The repair work at the Rainbow Centre is expected to take four years, he said.

Mall management has said it's simply a case of ongoing maintenance.