The Poirier Forum has run nearly at capacity since the city of Coquitlam opened the indoor sports facility last February.
But these days, the $3.9-million complex sometimes sits empty because of a mysterious condensation problem that's causing safety concerns for athletes.
Last week, the city sent out a letter to more than a dozen user groups representing hundreds of players, parents and coaches to apologize for the cancellations this winter.
Randy Clough, operations vice-president with the Coquitlam Senior Adanacs Lacrosse Club, which is training now, said the closures have been frustrating. Many times, the club has received notification at the last minute about bookings being scrubbed.
On Tuesday, the club was allowed to play on the dry floor despite it being wet in several places. "We tried to dry off the spots," he said, adding, "Overall, the surface just isn't conducive."
Besides lacrosse, Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association and North Coquitlam United Soccer have also been affected, among others.
Coun. Craig Hodge, who championed the Forum project and chairs the Coquitlam Sport Council, said he feels for the user groups, which have had to postpone activities or find alternate space at other city or school locations.
Last month, after receiving repeated complaints about the surface moisture, the city hired a specialist to look into the reasons for the sporadic build-ups.
Atmospheric sensors were installed and city staff have been on-site daily to monitor the conditions. They also clean the water with squeegees.
"We don't know why this is happening," Hodge said. "We don't know if it's a building deficiency or if it's because of the weather but we have to fix it because the user groups are dependent on this building."
Hodge said the topic is on the agenda for his city advisory committee meeting on Feb. 10. As well, a staff report is due to come before city council in April to look at options for repair.
Mayor Richard Stewart said he, too, has heard plenty of gripes from user groups and hopes to fix the communication between the city and user groups so they're given enough time to prepare for cancellations.
The company that built the Forum, Sprung Instant Structures, is a "responsive and reputable firm" that's working with the city, Stewart said.
Still, the municipality is taking a hit to its credibility, said Perry Staniscia, Coquitlam's general manager of strategic initiatives.
He's looking to see if other Metro Vancouver cities are also dealing with condensation in similar sports venues and what they're doing to mitigate problems.
"We need the Forum to be up and running 364 days a year," Staniscia said.
The 25,000-sq. ft. facility at the corner of Poirier Street and Winslow Avenue was unanimously approved by city council in July 2013. Because of construction and weather delays, it opened three months behind schedule on Feb. 7, 2015.
The non-heated, non-insulated structure — covered by a fabric roof — was supposed to have a urethane floor but that was ruled out by lacrosse and ball hockey groups, which called for a polished concrete floor instead.
In September, the multi-use facility is scheduled to play host to the 55-plus BC Games.
