As the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry continues, more information has come to light about repair costs for both the Centennial Aquatic Centre and the Central Park Arena.
That information includes a story about a skydiving Elvis Tribute Artist who dropped a skydiving weight through the roof of the arena requiring the town to replace a panel of the fabric membrane structure.
The inquiry received a sworn, written affidavit from current recreation facilities manager Mel Milanovic, who provided information on repairs to both fabric buildings since they were constructed.
Both the Central Park Arena and the Centennial Aquatic Centre are the focus of the current second phase of the inquiry since they were paid for, in part, with the proceeds from the 2012 share sale of Collus to PowerStream.
While the public hearings have been going on this month, the pool has been closed due to repairs required on the tile floors in the change rooms.
Initially, the town was going to re-tile the floors, but further investigation suggested more drains would have to be installed and the floor would have to be built up where “unexpected amounts of adhesives” were used on the old tiles.
Milanovic’s statement said it is too costly to remove the adhesives. Both the arena and the pool were built by BLT Construction, who purchased the insulated fabric membrane structure from Sprung.
In an email to BLT Construction obtained by the Inquiry, Milanovic suggests the “quality of workmanship is very poor.”
His email further states the “wrong materials were used, there was no waterproofing, adhesives were incorrect, floors were not sloped at all toward the drains, the type of tile is not correct for this application and not enough floor drains were installed for these areas.”
“I think you need to take a long, hard look at what went on here,” states Milanovic in his email to BLT. “We will have spent just over $400,000 in the last three years correcting issues that should never have needed correcting.”
David Barrow, executive vice president for BLT Construction, did reply to the email asking if the town would like him to send someone to review the tile work even though the warranty period is over.
“This is the first time hearing you are changing the tile and we were not aware there was an issue before this email,” stated Barrow in his response. “I would have liked to have been told so we could see what we could have done to help you. The workmanship would be easier to point out if it was still laid to get the trade involved.”
The pool is set to reopen tomorrow, according to a statement posted on the town's website.
Barrow was on the witness stand at the inquiry on Oct. 3, and said he was shocked to receive the email from Milanovic.
“I had never heard of any problems in the pool ’til this email,” he said.
He specified he hadn’t heard of those issues mentioned in the email, but he had helped address other issues, including the hole caused by the skydiving Elvis.
According to Milanovic, the town did contact BLT for assistance in the past (before the most recent email) relating to a gable end cap and a water leak in the front window at the arena.
“In response, BLT advised the buildings are outside warranty and, as a result, they would charge for repairs,” stated Milanovic’s affidavit. “The town did not engage BLT for the repairs as local contractors cost less.”
According to Milanovic, the arena and pool function the same as any traditional pool and arena facility with one primary difference. The Sprung structures are proprietary, so if the town needs to repair the aluminum structure or the membrane, it must go to BLT or Sprung for the repairs.
“Most recently, the town has needed to replace certain capping where seams of the membrane overlap,” stated Milanovic in his affidavit. “The town has had to arrange for Sprung to replace this capping.”
According to Milanovic, there have been instances where the Sprung membrane was punctured - more during his first two years with the town (2015/2016) - due to people poking sharp implements through the membrane. He said Sprung provides patches at cost, but the patches are thinner than the original membrane.
Staff have kept the panel that was replaced in the skydiving incident and use it for making their own patches now.
Milanovic’s affidavit also included testimony that some maintenance repairs at the pool are “costly.” He said it costs $300 to replace a lightbulb and the bulbs are only sold in packages of 12 for $3,600. The shower fixtures at the pool came from the U.S. and a valve is $390 to replace, and takes three-to-four weeks to be delivered.
“The town has also had to replace rusted cables in the overhead doors and other rusted parts in the change room partitions at the Centennial Aquatic Centre,” he states. “Certain metals do not perform well in the pool environment.”
Other repairs detailed in a staff report prepared by Dean Collver, director of parks, recreation and culture, to Collingwood council, include replacing the perimeter deck tiles at the main pool and warm water pool to meet the building code requirements that dictate floors adjacent to the pool must be impervious.
“The building code provision was in place since at least 2012,” states Milanovic’s affidavit.
The town replaced a 1.82 m perimeter of tiling around the pool in 2017, but has not done the remainder of the tile. Estimates obtained by staff suggest replacing all the tile will be a cost of about $300,000.
Staff also had the warm water pool re-tiled after discovering mould behind the liner.
The town has also replaced the floor in the front lobby of the pool building twice. The first time, according to Milanovic’s statement, was to address uneven tiling. The floor was re-poured. The second time was to replace rubber tiles with epoxy flooring.
The Inquiry continues with more public hearings this week.
Ed Houghton, the acting CAO of the Town of Collingwood during the time the recreation facilities were built, took the stand this afternoon. His testimony is being led by his lawyer Fred Chenoweth.
You can watch the hearings live online at rogerstv.com or on TV on your local Rogers channel. You can also attend the hearings in person at the Collingwood town hall in the second-floor council chambers.
