Heather Wright/The Independent

The elevator at Victoria Hall is reaching the end of its life and the Town of Petrolia will have to shell out $118,000 to fix it.

That from Julie Bullock, director of parks and recreation for the town.

In a report to council Monday, Bullock said there were two incidents last fall where people were stuck in the elevator at Victoria Hall “for a short period of time” because the doors wouldn’t open.
Firefighters were called to help open the elevators, freeing the passengers.

In the new year, when the theatre season ended, Bullock called in the town’s elevator maintenance company to take a look. What they found was a 33 year-old elevator which needed to be overhauled.

Normally, TK Elevator said, the units need to be replaced every 20 to 25 years.

Bullock asked council to fund the project through the working capital reserve this year, even though it was not in the 2025 budget.

“We can actually have TK Elevator start building the equipment as soon as possible, and then we can store it,” she told council. Or, Bullock said, the town could order the equipment closer to Jan. 2026 when the repairs would be complete.

“We actually have been leading more on the side of let’s get it built as soon as possible. We’ll store it just so that the equipment is here, and hopefully that helps with any cost pressures that might come down the line.”

She adds that building it immediately would mean the fix would be in town should the elevator fail before the theatre season is complete.

“If something drastic were to happen, we might be able to get it between the last of the October show and before the Christmas shows.”

Bullock says it will take some time to install.

“Since the work will shut down the use of the elevator for four weeks, staff plan to schedule the work for January of 2026 after the close of the theatre season. Signing the quote now will allow time for processing and ordering equipment and will lock in current pricing, which is likely to increase in the coming month,” she said.

Bullock says it will also give town staff to figure out some logistical problems. The elevator, she says, makes the building accessible.

“In the meantime, before January, the municipal office will have to find a solution to remain accessible to people who want to come and visit us,” Bullock said.

The renovations will not be noticeable to people at the hall; it’s the mechanical works which will be replaced not the interior of the car.

And Bullock said, with the repairs, the elevator will be as good as new, lasting another 20 to 25 years without any further repairs.

“Basically it’s almost a brand new elevator. “