A mouldy basement caused by flooding has forced employees of the Carcross Visitor Information Centre to work from a mobile trailer for the remaining tourist season.
Centre employees and its services moved into a mobile trailer that sits just outside the main building Tuesday afternoon.
Constant flooding in the Carcross area has kept a pump in the visitor centre’s basement running fulltime, but even that couldn’t stop mould from growing, said Frank Wiltf, manager of visitor services at the centre.
The centre’s seven employees are being moved before any health problems arise.
“We want to make sure the building is a safe place because the mould in the basement is starting to come up the walls,” said Wiltf. “We just want to take all the precautions so the crew and the tourists are in a safe area.”
The trailer was secured immediately after the mould was discovered, he added.
Wiltf has not received any complaints of illness related to the mould.
The transition into the centre’s new home was smooth because of a contingency plan created to deal with problems resulting from summer flooding, said Robert Clark, acting director of Tourism for YTG.
The centre closes September 22, so the mobile home will be used until then. Clark said he expects the centre to reopen in May as normal.
Renting the trailer costs $12,000 and the cost of flood repairs and mould removal will be determined once water levels recede, said Clark.
“We’re just waiting for nature to take its course,” he said. “At this point, just the mould is a concern. We don’t know the full extent of the damage.”
Corporate Health and Safety are handling the mould problem.
A sample has been sent away to determine the type of mould and the hazard it presents, said Clark.
“It’s more of a precaution,” said Clark. “We’ve taken the samples and sent them Outside and we’ll see what comes back in a couple weeks.”