PROBLEMS continue to plague Moffat’s Proudfoot Institute (PI) with reports of water now entering the historic building.
It is currently occupied by The Proudfoot Indoor Sports and Social Club (PISC) rent free and its facilities are regularly used by various groups and clubs within the community.
But ongoing problems with the building’s maintenance have left club members infuriated with the PI’s trustees, which includes all of Annandale North’s elected councillors.
PI committee member David Booth has written to the trustees to inform them of the latest bout of issues.
He said: “There is another long term water ingress into the Proudfoot again, reported over the years, but alas no action. It seems to depend which ways the wind blows, water is entering the area outside the kitchen and the hallway to the lift.
“We, the Proudfoot committee, to ensure the viability of the building have no choice but to action a local contractor to examine the issue and come up with a solution, be it temporary or of a more permanent nature. Obviously the cost will be a consideration
“The committee is taking this action as a tenant demonstrating a duty of care for the fabric of the building, based on the assumption – rightly or wrongly – that the trustees and the council are working towards a satisfactory solution.”
Mr Booth went on to call for clarity about who is responsible for the building, adding: “We have had signed agreements in the past, whereby the council was responsible for keeping the building wind and water tight, but even then no action was taken, so even a legally signed agreement means nothing. So, was Dumfries and Galloway Council in breach?
“By any measure this building is on the books and in the care of Dumfries and Galloway Council and/or its representatives, this has been an issue since 1975 I understand.
“I was under the impression that the visit to land court couple of years ago was to rectify any abnormalities, but I guess not.”
Annandale North Cllr Stephen Thompson yesterday echoed the club’s frustrations with the situation, stating that the trustees have also had difficulty getting clear answers in regards to the PI.
He said: “As an elected member I’m frustrated at the lack of clarity that elected members have got for this.
“Over the years we [the trustees] have certainly tried to get property services to arrange for work to be carried out. Issues with water getting in and the roof have been well reported by the club and there has been work carried out over the years but for some reason they haven’t managed to find a fix that’s sorted it all.
“It’s really distressing to hear that this is still happening and it’s quite unclear what property services at the council will be able to carry out, because this is work they should’ve done.
“Back in the 80s there was an agreement between the then council and the club and they would manage the property and the council would make sure it was wind and water tight. And that’s the understanding that’s been so deeply ingrained for so long, there has been that autonomy for the club to carry out internal repairs.
“The fact that after all that time we’re now in a position where it seems even less clear who’s responsible for keeping it water-tight is really frustrating for everyone.”
