Goulbourn pool closed until summer
Extensive renovation needed throughout
The pool at the Goulbourn recreation complex is in even worse shape than city workers realized and now isn’t expected to reopen until the summer of 2014.
It has been closed since early fall, when the city closed it for a couple of weeks of heavy-duty but fairly ordinary maintenance: repainting, new grout between tiles and a good scrub.
This year, the city also planned to replace the roof over the pool but in the process uncovered incipient mould, which led to work that, at the time, was expected to extend the closure from October to December.
The city announced the six-month extension, until June 28 next year, in a vaguely worded news release Friday afternoon: “After a thorough investigation, it was determined that more work has to be completed to ensure the facility remains safe and in proper working order,” it said.
It turns out they’re undertaking a major renovation after finding mould in the walls, too.
“A complete take down of all interior finishes is now being undertaken to completely remove any chance of early stages of mould,” said facilities manager Dan Brisebois in an emailed response to Citizen questions. “Given the extended closure, staff will also undertake additional maintenance work including: restoration and painting of structural steel; replacement of interior finishes with new and more durable surfaces; advancing the program of work on the pool air and dehumidification system which was due for replacement in mid-2014; and thorough cleaning and repainting of all elements of (the) pool.”
The rest of the Goulbourn recreation centre is still open, the announcement said, and isn’t believed to have any problems. People who’ve paid for swimming classes in January will get automatic credits to their city accounts, which they can use to register for something else or get refunded, it said.
A new pool at the Kanata North Recreation Complex is to open Dec. 5, the city says, and could be an adequate alternative for a lot of people.