STEPHENVILLE, N.L. — Mayor Tom Rose said the former women’s penitentiary in Stephenville poses a safety concern and it's time for the provincial government to have the building demolished before someone is injured or worse.
The building was abandoned in the 1980s when the province closed the prison in favour of operating a women’s penitentiary in Clarenville.
Since that time the building has been deteriorating, while two other buildings near it have since been demolished.
“It has become a real eyesore and, worse than that, part of the roof lifted off during the Dorian storm and there’s more to come,” Rose said. “Someone is going to get hurt of killed if something is not done.”
Rose said it's time for immediate action, especially since the building is close to the West Coast Correctional Centre and College of the North Atlantic, with workers and students from those institutions parking their vehicles nearby.
The town has sent a letter to the Department of Transportation and Works, which is responsible for the building, requesting its demolition primarily from a safety perspective but also because it’s such an eyesore in the town.
A similar request had previously been made by a former town council.
The Western Star has asked the Department of Transportation and Works about the status of the building, but there was no reply from the department as of deadline.
