Photo: District of Summerland File Photo

Challenges for the District of Summerland's Aquatic & Fitness Centre continue, as council will have to decide whether to bite the bullet of an additional $240,000 cost to complete roof repairs.

Summerland council gave the green light to fix the roof at the aquatics and fitness centre in November, approving up to $110,000 be allocated from the general fund capital works reserve to conduct repairs to the east roof section.

This was done after the failed community referendum, where 58 per cent of the community voted against the district borrowing $50 million for the construction of a new facility.

At 47 years old, the existing Summerland Aquatic & Fitness Centre is at the end of its serviceable life, according to the 2018 Facility Condition Assessment Report.

And now, according to staff's report to council to be presented on Tuesday, an assessment from the engineering firm noted the roof decking was decayed more than expected

The roofing project work started on Jan. 24, 2024. Staff said as the contractors began to remove the existing shingles, oriented strand board (OSB), and fiberboard, they discovered areas where the tongue and groove decking is showing signs of rot and fasteners which were corroded.

"Work was stopped and the roofing contractor’s third-party evaluator (engineering firm) was called in to investigate," the reports reads.

The firm stated that the roof decayed substantially towards the edges of the roof, with some smaller sections within the central portion of the roof deck as well.

"The top half of the roof area had decay on approximately 50 per cent of the boards at the perimeters with the amount being lowered to approximately 25 per cent for the lower half of the roof," staff added.

"There were also some small sections within the roof area where there was decay."

It was recommended to replaced the compromised lumber around the perimeter of the roof as well as the sections within the roof deck that are decayed and provided the structural details for the repairs.

They also recommended to wire brushing and treat the fasteners where corrosion was observed with a zinc-rich primer.

Staff calculated that the roofing project contract was awarded for $89,325 and the engineering assessment cost $5,750, with $14,925 remaining in the roof budget.

Further next steps in regards to the centre will be to explore options for extending the life of the existing facility, with the larger time-sensitive upgrades being considered as part of the 2025-2029 budget deliberations.

Council will decide whether to go ahead with the recommended roof repairs prior to completing the roofing project for an additional $240,000 in the Tuesday afternoon meeting.