The Ladner Leisure Centre is getting a facelift after the failure of the building's façade last month.
On Feb. 20, the stucco façade on the east side of the centre fell away from the wall after the anchoring system failed. The pool and fitness centre have since re-opened but the arena area remains closed.
Following the wall failure, structural engineers were brought in to assess the damage and the rest of the building. Since the entire façade is attached using the same fastening system that failed, engineers designed a retaining system to keep the other walls in place for the time being.
Before the façade can be removed and replaced, interior work needs to be completed. Some interior walls need to be removed to allow access to the exterior wall, but it was recently discovered that some of those walls are coated in lead paint. Delta must first bring in qualified abatement specialists to deal with that issue before work on the façade can continue.
Delta is also currently in the process of hiring an architectural firm to prepare design plans for the replacement of the façade and interior walls. The ice arena mechanical room is also getting a secondary exit to meet WorkSafeBC requirements. While work is being done at the centre, Delta is also looking at moving the cycle fit room into the poolside area.
"It will be a new building by the time we're finished," said chief administrative officer George Harvie.
Several user groups have been displaced during the arena closure, however staff members are expediting the interior work in the hopes of having the arena area open sooner.
"Due to the urgency of accommodating the user groups, it's essential that the building be deemed structurally sound and free of any hazardous material as soon as possible," a staff report stated. "Staff is expediting the approval process to ensure that dry floor season will not be significantly impacted."
The exterior work is expected to continue throughout the summer.
The repairs will be covered through reserves. The 2014 budget contains a capital contingency fund of up to $5 million to cover items like emergency repairs and infrastructure failures.
The ice arena portion of the building was built in 1976. It was expanded to include the pool in 1992 and the fitness centre in 2004.
