There’s more problems with the Ladner Leisure Centre after the discovery of something going wrong with roof of the indoor swimming pool.
A recent report by city manager Sean McGill to council notes that staff in February became aware of an issue where an outside section of the natatorium, specifically the soffit, had detached from the building.
Staff immediately reacted to the situation by assessing the damage, began reviewing potential causes, hazardous material testing and engaged with a roofing contractor to remove the debris, all of which has been completed.
As part of the 2022 capital budget, council approved funding for design work associated with the anticipated repairs required for the natatorium with the intention of implementing the building modifications in 2023, wrote McGill.
“The principles for these planned repairs were developed as a result of a 2012 building envelope review that suggested some repairs would be required in 10 to 15 years,” said McGill. “All impacts to the natatorium were on the outside of the building and at no time were staff or patrons impacted as a result of the situation. The failure did not impact ongoing operations of the Ladner Leisure Centre, which has continued to operate and remains open to the public.”
Based upon the initial reviews and in consultation with local building experts, staff have initiated a procurement process to retain an architectural firm to complete the required design work.
The successful firm will be tasked with completing a detailed analysis of the existing building, repair/rehabilitation strategies and developing building envelope re-design options.
McGill noted it is envisioned that the rehabilitation strategies will also include replacement of the exterior walls system of the pool enclosure, windows, existing curved metal roof and skylight as well the pool ventilation system.
The stucco walls, which form the majority of the building exterior on the lower level, will also be reviewed, while some roofing areas, which were scheduled for replacement in 2022, will also be incorporated into the overall envelope rehabilitation project.
“At this stage, staff are not considering any major pool filtration or pumping system replacements; however, those components of the facility will be assessed moving forward,” he said. “As a result of the current events, building modifications and repairs that were partially planned for 2023 will need to be advanced. It is anticipated that the work required will be extensive and will likely require an extended closure of the facility once a plan is developed. As such, the annual pool maintenance closure, currently scheduled for the end of June this year, will be delayed until the building rehabilitation work commences.”
Staff will continue to provide council with updates on the scope and financial implications as details emerge following an in-depth review conducted with the consulting firm, wrote McGill.
Seven years ago, Delta spent around to $3.8 million to get the leisure centre back fully open for business. The expenditure covered the cost of repairs as well as a few upgrades.
The stucco façade on the east side of the arena fell away from the wall in February of that year after the anchoring system failed. Nobody was hurt in that incident.
The pool and fitness centre re-opened soon after, but it took the arena a while to open to limited dry floor use.
Following the wall façade failure, structural engineers were brought in to assess the damage and the rest of the building.
Since the entire façade was attached using the same fastening system that failed, engineers designed a retaining system to keep the other walls in place, but it was subsequently decided the remaining façade would need to be replaced.
