City of Edmonton plans to close Scona Pool permanently, report shows
CBC
A more than 10-year-long fight to keep Scona Pool open has hit a new hurdle, as the City of Edmonton said this week it plans to close the facility permanently.
"A system failure occurred at Scona Pool when the pool heat exchanger started leaking and was shut down," a city report released earlier this week says.
Gary Maier, director of River City Recreation Inc., confirmed that the heater broke down in late June but he disagrees that it's a system failure. River City Recreation Inc. is contracted to run the pool.
"It's a component," Maier said in an interview Thursday. "If a system fails, that would be multiple components within an assembly."
In a system failure, Maier said the boiler would have gone down the piping would have cracked, for example.
Maier said the heater could be replaced at an estimated price of $25,000 and $40,000.
The swimming pool was built at Strathcona High School in 1957.
A physical assessment of the facility completed in July shows significant repairs are required to keep the facility running, the city report says.
Pascale Ladouceur, branch manager of infrastructure, planning and design, said keeping the pool operating safely would require a lot of money and additional resources.
"Scona Pool has exceeded its lifespan and has reached the point where the building envelope and mechanical systems are experiencing significant failures," Ladouceur said in a statement.
The city estimates extending the life of the facility by five to ten years would cost a minimum of $6 million.
The report found issues with the foundation and superstructure, walls and roof, interior finishes and fixtures and mechanical and electrical systems.
Maier said the mechanical system works well and the boiler has been inspected and re-commissioned to work.
"It is safe," Maier said.
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