St. Marys council approves additional $13,000 for ongoing pool renovations

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As work continues on the nearly $2-million renovation of the Pyramid Recreation Centre (PRC) aquatics centre that began last fall, St. Marys council has approved an additional $13,336 in contingency funding to address some recently discovered deficiencies in the pool-wall tiles.

Last September, council awarded a $1.75-million contract to Elgin Contracting and Restoration Ltd. for renovations intended to address early onset structural degradation caused by the use of saltwater and insufficient HVAC capacity at the aquatics centre. At the time, those renovations were expected to close the pool from November 2024 to May 2025, but in May of this year, St. Marys council learned the extent of the pool’s structural degradation meant the pool likely would not reopen until later in the fall.

At council’s Sept. 23 meeting, town director of community services Stephanie Ische provided an update on the project that included the request for additional contingency funding.

“We are at the end of our contingency,” Ische told council. “ … Along the knee wall on the edge of the pool where the vent system is and individuals sit along the side, right along the glass windows, we’re finding there’s some holes in there and, when they did replace the vents, the tile was cracking and fracturing very easily because it wasn’t built as it should have been.

“ … So, we need to fix those and we’re working on that right now, which is why I’m looking for the additional $13,000 this evening.”

The aquatics centre, opened in 2008, initially used a saltwater chlorine-generation system. While popular with municipal pools at the time, this system caused significant deterioration of equipment and infrastructure indoors. In response, the town transitioned to an ultra-violet disinfection system using liquid chlorine in 2018 and developed a plan to replace damaged equipment and improve air quality. The ongoing renovations are also intended to address humidity issues stemming from insufficiently sized HVAC equipment installed during the original construction in 2007.

The PRC pool was closed to the public in November 2024 to address safety concerns caused by saltwater and high humidity – including a near miss after a rainwater pipe in the roof of the PRC fell onto the pool deck in early 2024.

The project involved the installation of a new HVAC unit and exhaust systems to improve air quality. Additionally, repairs are being performed on various parts of the aquatics centre that have experienced wear and tear and salt damage.

In her report to council, Ische said the contractors and subcontractors have most recently been working to replace light hangers for the pool lights; install aluminum below the high bay windows; replace sauna windows; re-caulk seams around doors and windows; complete final painting; and verify controls so the new HVAC unit can be commissioned, inspected and balanced.

As of Sept. 23, the work that had not yet been completed included upgrading door hardware and sprinkler piping; insulating the wall under the high bay windows; completing electrical, mechanical and architectural inspections; and the removal of scaffolding so the pool deck can be cleaned.

While Ische told council on Sept. 23 that she could not yet say when the project will be complete or when the pool can reopen because of issues with the HVAC dehumidification system and the potential for damaged pool tiles underneath the scaffolding, she told the Independent on Sept. 26 that both contractors and staff are confident the project is moving along as expected.

“The HVAC issues are being addressed, and I’m delighted to report that the HVAC commissioning will not hold up our project,” Ische said. “Additionally, the tile work, which was approved at the council meeting on Tuesday evening, has already begun and is currently in progress.

“We are excited to announce that the scaffolding removal is scheduled to start on Monday. This step is critical because once the scaffolding is removed, we will be able to inspect the pool tank to determine whether any tiles need to be replaced. The concern is that, due to the extended period without water in the tank, several tiles may have become loose or damaged. Typically, hydrostatic pressure helps maintain the integrity of the tilework, but without it, we are uncertain about the current condition of the pool tank beneath the scaffolding. After next week, we hope to have a clearer idea of when we can set a reopening date, which will depend on whether tile replacements are necessary and, if so, how extensive that will be.”

Should broken or damaged tiles be discovered in the pool tank after the scaffolding is removed, Ische told council she would bring back a report on what the repair and replacement of those tiles will cost. To date, the town has spent a total of nearly $1.99 million on this project.