The president of Campbell River’s outdoor youth swim club is urging council to repair Centennial Pool, which was leaking thousands of litres of water each day last summer.
Council is scheduled to consider its capital budget – which could include Centennial Pool repairs – on Jan. 29 and with that date approaching, the Salmon Kings are asking council to consider setting aside money for the pool.
Dean Dobrinsky, president of the Campbell River Salmon Kings, wrote in a letter to council that the club is concerned about the state of the pool and the impact it has on the community.
“We would ask that the repairs on the pool be approved and completed in an expedited fashion,” Dobrinsky wrote. “It was of great concern that we read of the urgent repairs needed to maintain the viability of the pool. We also understand firsthand the significant impact that Centennial Pool has in our community.”
The Mirror reported in November that the 53-year-old outdoor pool was losing anywhere between 40 and 100,000 litres of water a day last summer.
The culprit was new circulation piping that had been installed during construction to seal the main floor drains of the pool after the end of the 2012 season.
Jason Decksheimer, the city’s asset management supervisor, told council in November that the new piping had hastened the deterioration of the surrounding concrete basin, causing the leak. Despite repairing the leak, Decksheimer said the pool still lost thousands of litres of water throughout the 2013 season.
A structural condition assessment done this past fall determined the main sources of water loss are suspected to be through several hairline cracks in the basin, the construction joints in the pool basin, in one of the 60 penetrations through the pool walls such as jets and skimmers, or between the pool walls and floor. Decksheimer said council will likely need to consider shelling out funding for repairs in order to keep the pool running.
Council’s options are to reseal the pool basin for $90,000 to keep the pool operational for three to five years; replace the main pool basin ($500,000); or don’t do any repairs knowing the pool will continue to leak between 40 to 100,000 litres a day resulting in increased operating costs and accepting the potential for the leak to worsen which could result in a complete shut down.
Dobrinsky doesn’t want to see that happen.
“Without Centennial Pool, the viability of our club is greatly diminished as is the ability to showcase the best of Campbell River,” Dobrinsky said. “In July 2014, the Salmon Kings will host swimmers from clubs across the Vancouver Island Region at our local meet. This annual event will be held at Centennial Pool and Park. This event is viewed as the must-attend meet of the summer swimming season.”