DAWSON CITY Dawson's City's recreation centre has been shut down with the discovery that the roof support beams are twisting and deformed, apparently under the weight of the snow load.

The problem was discovered mid-way through last week during an evening's curling, when participants noticed irregularities in the ceiling of the rink.

Upon examination the next day, the curling rink was closed. The closure was extended to the entire structure on Friday after the building inspector examined it.

Town manager Scott Coulson confirmed the town has been concerned about the roof structure since it took possession of the building. Last year, it leaked.

Now the concern is the roof may not have been designed and built strongly enough to take Dawson's snow load.

'I thought for sure it would have been designed to withstand snow,' Coulson said in an interview Saturday. 'But it's pretty scary when you look at them the beams are all just twisting. It's very serious.'

The recreation department offices will have to be relocated.

'We have to get the snow off, but we need to have an engineer look at it to see if we can get the people up there to get the snow off.'

Roof issues were on the table during the recent arbitration hearings in Vancouver involving the town and the contractor that built the recreation centre.

Roof issues will also be under discussion during the upcoming court case between the town and FSC, the engineering firm that designed the building.

Coulson doesn't know if the building can be made safe before next winter.

'Obviously, we don't have a million dollars to change the roof, which is what it cost, according to one estimate.'

Coulson contacted Andre Carrel, Dawson's government-appointed financial supervisor, about hiring an engineer to assess the damage Friday, including determining if it was safe to have anyone clearing the snow off the roof.

Mayor Glen Everitt said Sunday night Carrel has hired a contractor to clear the roof without going through the town offices or, in Everitt's belief, determining the risk.