Multiple ceiling tiles missing. Leaking roofs. Buckets collecting dark brown water. Infestations of what appears to be black mould. Dangling wires …
The images of decay are everywhere inside the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre.
Even the building’s façade has a downtrodden appearance. Two letters are missing in the sign: KINSMEN AQUATIC CEN*R*.
It is as if Barrhead had long given up on the building. Keeping pace with the upkeep had proved too much. Too costly. Or perhaps priorities lay elsewhere.
Last Tuesday, Parks and Recreation director Sue Keenan took the Leader on a tour of the pool.
Were we entering a condemned building?
From the foyer to the changing rooms and pool area, maintenance problems were fully visible. Black mould seemed to be running riot.
“In the showers, staff spend ages scrubbing the walls to keep away the mould,” said Keenan.
Enter the swimming pool area and it is impossible not to notice about 20 missing ceiling tiles.
Several reports on the state of the pool have been compiled down the years. The latest one came from Alberta Health Services last month.
In it, AHS noted that at the time of inspection, numerous leaks were found in the ceiling, change rooms and main pool area.
AHS directed that all water-damaged material should be repaired or replaced. Also, the roof should be repaired to prevent further water damage. A June 30, 2014 completion date was fixed.
In April 21, 2011, a limited fungal assessment was carried out for the Town by Golder Associates Ltd.
Results of airborne spore samples showed fungus in the women’s washroom, within the shower area; hallway adjacent to the mechanical room; men’s washroom, within the shower area; staff office, within the shower area; and exterior reference, east entrance/ parking lot. No mould was detected in the family change room, southwest corner, or the exterior reference, south entrance.
Results of surface tape lift samples were: Staff shower, concrete floor – no mould; men’s shower, vinyl wall board – no mould; family change room, southwest corner, block wall – no mould; and mechanical room, on wood stud in wall – Stachybotrys sp.
“Stachybotrys spores are significant since they are typically an indication that water-damaged/fungal-contaminated building materials are present or have recently been removed or disturbed from the tested areas without proper precautions. Stachybotrys spores thrive on water-damaged cellulose such as paper, ceiling tiles, cellulose-containing insulation backing, and wallpaper.”
Based on the results of the airborne sampling, Golder concluded the following:
Elevated moisture levels on the vinyl wallboards within the men’s, women’s, and staff shower areas may be due to the wet environment and recent shower activity within the areas;
Elevated moisture levels on the block wall within the family change room may be due to infiltration from the building exterior due to winter thawing;
The sample result from the surface of the wooden floor stud within the wall in the hallway adjacent to the mechanical room indicated the presence of Stachybotrys spores, which may be a source of fungal amplification if damaged or disturbed; and
Based solely on the air sample results, Golder concludes that the indoor airborne fungal concentrations and genera were representative of a normal indoor fungal ecology and are not considered to be problematic indoors at the concentrations as measured and should not represent a concern to building occupants.
“Legislation and guidelines suggest that fungal impacted building materials present a potential health risk to building occupants and should therefore be remediated in accordance with established safe work procedures,” Golder said.
Golder made the following recommendation for remediation of the wooden floor stud within the hallway adjacent to the mechanical room:
*Remediation of fungal-contaminated/water-damaged building material should be conducted by trained workers following low-risk procedures as outlined in the Alberta Employment and Immigration Best Practices Mould at the Worksite (July 2009).
*The water-damaged wooden floor stud should be removed along with the bottom foot of wallboard within the adjacent hallway. The floor and adjacent area beneath the wooden stud should be thoroughly cleaned using an appropriate biocide or mild detergent solution mixed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations for us. Water damaged wall studs are also suspected to be present within the wall. Water damaged wall studs encountered during remediation activities should also be removed.
Golder said the best and most effective way to manage mould growth is prevention.
In February 25, 2011, an analysis of the pool was produced by Architecture|Arndt Tkalcic Bengert. One of the findings was that the building has “significant wall and envelope issues and at a minimum would require complete removal and replacement of the lower roof membranes …”
The report also called for the t-bar ceiling to be demolished and doors/frames and interior finishes and millwork to be replaced.
“It is the overall recommendation of this report that due to the significant numbers of major detrimental envelope and interior issues present in this building, as well as the substantial shortcomings of the existing facility relative to programmatic needs, current code compliance and high operational maintenance/cost, the municipality only undertakes minimal and required capital investment in the project to maintain current operations,” the report said.
“It is further recommended that the building eventually be demolished in favour of a new Aquatics facility, which would be designed to better serve the Town and this region.”
The report categorized the envelope issues as “critical.” It defined “critical” as unsafe; high risk of injury or critical system failure.
In October 25, 2010, consulting engineers Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC) conducted a walkthrough of the pool after being retained by Arndt Tkalcic Bengert to assess the Agrena.
Accompanying Read Jones Christoffersen were Town of Barrhead maintenance personnel.
Here is one passage of RJC’s report. Low Roof: The low roof area consists of wood decking on wood joists on glulam beams. A glulam beam in the women’s change room exhibited some checking/splitting, likely due to moisture fluctuations. Most of the low roof structure was covered by ceiling tile or wood plank lath and was therefore not accessible for closer observation.
The report carried photographs of deteriorating pilasters on the south wall of the pool and above the link to the arena.
The AHS and RJC reports were included in Town councillors’ agendas on Feb. 10 when they sealed the fate of the aquatic centre.
