Advocates for the city’s conservatory say there’s no way that panes of glass can fall on people’s heads.
During deputations at city council Wednesday night, Keely Banning said it wasn’t possible for the panes of glass on the conservatory ceiling to fall down on someone’s head. The city closed the conservatory last week for up to two months over reports of panes of glass falling from the roof.
Banning, the head of Friends of the Conservatory, said the greenhouse was designed in a way that the panes of glass couldn’t fall. The only way for glass to fall directly down is if someone knocked it inwards, she said.
“Think of (greenhouse glass) like shingles on your house,” Banning told council.
“The shingles of your house are made on top of each other. There’s actually no way for the glass to fall in unless of course you had some random act of God where you have hail or repairs have to be done. There’s no way for the glass to fall on anybody’s head.”
Banning also mentioned an assessment on the conservatory about six months ago. She said the results came back saying the conservatory was in good shape.
She also told council that the conservatory wasn’t anywhere near its end of life. She argued there are many other conservatories that are much older than the one in Thunder Bay such as the conservatory in Chicago that is more than 100 years old.
When the hailstorm hit the city last June, it also struck the conservatory. Banning added there was glass everywhere but the conservatory was able to reopen the next day.
“Greenhouses are a hell of a lot tougher then we make them out to be,” she said. “Our conservatory is still as tough as nails. If it can hold up against a hailstorm that’s definitely a testament to its toughness.”
City Manager Tim Commisso said he and City manager of facilities and fleet Michael Smith receive many reports but based on the information they had, they closed the conservatory as a precautionary measure.
“People can read into it what they want but the responsibility for safety ultimately lies directly with this council,” Commisso said. “We have to make decisions that deal with the risks. If there are no risks and if we can confirm that then we will move forward.”
A report on the facility's viability will be presented to council this spring.
Follow Jeff Labine on Twitter @Labine_reporter
