The former Ogden legion building remains standing one year after the City of Calgary ordered its demolition, and nearby residents have grown tired of waiting for issues surrounding it to be addressed.
The building, located on the corner of 78 Avenue and Ogden Road S.E., was once a bustling legion with thousands of members and busy curling rinks. Since 2012, it has sat vacant after it was sold by the veterans’ organization.
Since then, residents have reported the building has been a source point for vandalism, theft, squatters and other criminal activity.
“I really feel it’s a slap in the face to the veterans that built up this once-proud facility, for the state it’s in right now,” said Zev Klymochko with the Millican Ogden Community Association.
According to Klymochko, the building’s state has been a continuous concern raised by residents in Ogden to the community association for many years.
“I feel especially bad for the residents that live nearby because they’re the ones who are feeling it the most,” he told Global News in an interview Thursday.
Last October, the City of Calgary issued a demolition order to the owner of the building.
Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said the city had to step in due to the ongoing concerns from residents and the lack of a plan for the site from the property owner.
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“After years of it falling into further disorder, the city finally put forward the order that ‘you’ve got to take this down,’” Carra said.
“It’s going to be a lot less problematic to have a vacant lot there until such a time the area gets redeveloped.”
That order was appealed to the Licence and Community Standards Appeal Board (LCSAB), which upheld the city’s decision earlier this year.
The LCSAB ruled the building would need to be demolished this past spring, noting in its decision the building is “dangerous to public safety, in particular the safety of persons entering the building (whether authorized or otherwise), emergency responders, and persons in the area of the building.”
The decision also found there were multiple calls for emergency services to the building, and both Calgary Fire and the Calgary Police Service had “concerns about accessing the interior of the building, limiting their ability to respond to emergency situations.”
“It is not just an eyesore for the community,” Carra said. “It is a legitimate source of social disorder and criminality and it’s deeply frustrating.”
According to the City of Calgary, that demolition order is once again on hold pending a judicial review ordered by the building’s owner at the Court of Kings Bench, scheduled for December of this year.
Meanwhile, the community association is telling residents to continue reporting concerns that arise to 311 and community peace officers, as residents remain waiting for the vacant building and surrounding issues to be addressed.
“We’re worried that somebody is going to get seriously hurt or worse,” Klymochko said. “Especially come winter, now that it’s getting colder and people are looking for a warm place to go. We’re really concerned.”
The building’s owner did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.
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