Summerland council agrees to increased $240K cost to repair pool roof

Photo: District of Summerland File Photo

Summerland council has agreed to bite the bullet for an additional $240,000 cost to complete roof repairs on the aging Aquatic & Fitness Centre.

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

This was following 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.

On Tuesday, staff presented an assessment from the engineering firm, which noted the roof decking had decayed more than expected, and further repairs and new lumber were needed — hence the price jump.

Funding would come from the growing communities fund reserve and it is estimated that the repairs will take two weeks minimum to complete.

The existing Summerland Aquatic & Fitness Centre is at the end of its serviceable life nearing 50 years, according to the 2018 Facility Condition Assessment Report.

Further 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.

“As the building gets older, the repairs and maintenance costs go up and so we should be prepared that we're going to be putting considerably more into repairs and maintenance every year,” Coun. Richard Barkwill said.

“Someday we may have to draw the line, I don't know. But it's not hard to put an extra quarter million for the roof and hope we get another year out of the building.”

Mayor Doug Holmes said they’ll have a better idea once the new report comes out.

“We didn’t get a provincial grant for the new pool, so we might as well use the provincial money for the old one,” he added.

Council unanimously agreed to go ahead with the recommended roof repairs prior to completing the roofing project for an additional $240,000.