'We're very proud': Spruce Grove haunted house resurrected after city shut down

EDMONTON -

A haunted house that was temporarily closed in Spruce Grove will be up and running on Halloween after a last-minute permit scare.

Trades workers descended on Spruce Ridge Road Friday morning, prepared to bring the temporary haunt at #287 up to fire and building codes.

Some alterations were made, and some elements were removed, but the city gave it a green light Friday afternoon.

"We're very proud to say that we got through all the hoops and red tape that the city wanted from us," homeowner Lindsay Allen said.

He says the city told him to remove the roof part of the haunt, so it no longer needed to be classified as a structure, and to take down the tarps that constitute the haunted house’s walls because they were a fire hazard.

'TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO A KAREN AND KARL'

“The city was kind of asking us to meet some requirements almost because we occupy people. Even (if) it’s a short-term duration -- going through a haunted house for anywhere for three to five minutes -- we’re still allowing people to enter the building,” Allen explained.

Allen and the city had been going back and forth since the start of the week when an official complaint prompted officials to look into the haunted house, which had already opened for its fifth year.

For several days, a sign hung outside the Spruce Ridge Scare has read, “Temporarily closed due to a Karen and Karl.”

"We knew there was a real timing issue - and so our staff followed up with the residents and tried to work with them as best we could and as quickly as we could to make those changes," Carol Bergum, with the City of Spruce Grove, said.

Bergum encouraged residents to check the city's website for permit information, or come into the office for help, before building anything.

Volunteers working to get Spruce Grove Scare ready for Halloween weekend. (CTV News Edmonton)

'WE WANT TO PACK THIS STREET LARGE'

The process of finding a solution with the City of Spruce Grove, however, has been damaging to the family’s food bank fundraising efforts, Allen noted. The haunted house has been closed for half of its two-week cycle.

“It’s tremendous, what they’ve done… We have no donations,” Allen said..

“Probably thousands of pounds and hundreds in donations that we now have to try to make up on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”

The Spruce Ridge Scare is posting updates to its Facebook page.

Allen was hoping it would open Friday evening, and it was.

“Bring all your food donations out and help support us large over the weekend. We’re looking for a great weekend, we want to have a good time, we want all your kids to have a great time.

“We want to pack this street large.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Carlyle Fiset