Inspection reveals council building not to standard for public use

An inspection report of the San Gwann council premises has concluded that the present condition of the building "does not reach the basic levels of standards to be used as a public building".

The inspection report, prepared by architect Anthony Bezzina, who is also a Nationalist MP, was drafted after a ceiling collapsed in one of the council building's offices. The collapse fortunately occurred over a weekend, when the room was not in use.

A separate inquiry ordered by Parliamentary Secretary for Local Councils José Herrera is investigating how the premises were acquired in 2000.

While the inspection report was based on a visual site inspection, San Gwann mayor Etienne Bonello DuPuis said that a builder who examined "the structural integrity of the roofs" had reassured him that there was "no imminent danger of collapse".

The council has however moved a number of its services to other places while the Department for Local Councils helps its move to separate premises. "As far as we can tell, the premises are not going to collapse like a house of cards, but we are pushing to move out as soon as possible. I want the council's staff to feel safe," Bonello DuPuis told MaltaToday.

The inspection report noted that the roof slab was not inspected from roof level, "given the premises lack of adequate and safe access".

It was clear in its warning however that it could not "exclude the fact that further spalling of the concrete roof slab will occur in the near future".

The report concluded that parts of the roof slab over the computer room collapsed due to the carbonation of concrete and corrosion of the steel reinforcement mesh. It appears that water ingress from the bathroom, located just above the computer room, was the cause.

"The computer room and the room located above it should not be used for any purpose whatsoever until the roof slab is demolished and replaced," the report said.

Even though there does not appear to be any "imminent danger" with the other roof slabs, a visual inspection revealed that most of the reinforcement mesh cast within the concrete did not have the adequate cover to protect it from corroding with time.

The architect reported that "most of the meshes are already starting to corrode and the concrete used to roof over the rooms is of a poor quality."

This appeared to be the result of poor quality construction methods adopted when the premises were built: "The concrete mix shows signs that it was poorly mixed when originally poured in place."

Bezzina warned that if the San Gwann local council decided to continue occupying the premises, the roof slabs at ground-floor level would have to be replaced, while those on the first floor must be adequately reinforced.

But the architect's opinion was that this would cost the local council a hefty sum, which, when taking into consideration the condition of the premises, was not financially viable.

In fact, the local council's plans are to seek a temporary site before moving to the Civic Centre in Karin Grech gardens. Funds for the new premises at the gardens will be allocated in the coming budget, infrastructure minister Joe Mizzi said previously.

Meanwhile, the local council will move to the new bowls club in San Gwann on a temporary basis, which so far has never been used. Constructed just before the general elections, the vacant club has already suffered vandalism, with its toilets and doors found broken. The department for local councils has now applied for water and electricity and meters.