The Ladner Leisure Centre is showing its age, according to Delta's parks and recreation department.
A recent report notes the centre's aquatics expansion is 20 years old, and now both the slide tower and the roof are showing evidence of a declining building condition.
Three years ago, money had been set aside to recoat the corroded tower, however, Delta council decided to reallocate those funds to hire a consultant in order to develop a longer term plan for the aquatics facility, which involved potential alternative recreation amenities to replace the slide tower.
The report notes that not only is the tower in a state of decline, it's also a point of extreme energy loss for the building.
In 2010, a three-phase plan was approved, including removal of the slide tower and conversion of the tower area into a water feature with a dedicated therapy pool.
The 2012 capital budget included $20,000 for repair of the metal roof assembly and $75,000 to decommission the slide, however, a roof assessment identified underlying issues with the pool building. A subsequent building envelope assessment concluded there might be more serious building issues.
Another assessment was then undertaken that painted a more positive picture. That assessment had seven recommendations in an "action plan" with funding available for the first six in Delta's capital program.
The seventh recommendation involves planning for a larger replacement of a wall, window and roof within the next 10 to 15 years. The report to council didn't specify what that undertaking would cost.
The Ladner Leisure Centre cost just under $8 million to build in the early 1990s, a cost overrun of over $2 million from its original budget set in a 1989 referendum.
Seven years ago, Delta partnered with the Vancouver Giants for a weight room expansion at the centre.
