Pool closure continues London's short, troubled history with East Lions Community Centre
CBC
Londoners who visit the East Lions Community Centre, which opened just five years ago, will have to find another place to swim after the Canada Day long weekend.
The city announced Wednesday the community centre's pool will close from July 2 to the end of September to fix structural problems with the large glass window wall that surrounds the centre's indoor pool.
It's the latest of many challenges the city has faced with the $21 million community centre, which opened two years behind schedule after the city fired the original contractor.
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, who lives near East Lions, said Wednesday the three-month closure is unfortunate but said it's the only option to fix a complex structural issue in the pool's exterior wall.
"I'm frustrated by it, but at the same time I'm happy that after three years of having windows boarded up, we're finally getting a permanent fix," he said.
Lewis said the problem with the pool's massive windows and the structure that holds them in place was revealed three years ago. That's when vandals smashed six of the windows. During their replacement, Lewis said significant "structural deficiencies" were uncovered.
Lewis said the problems are related to the building's original design and construction. Getting the fix started first required a claim against the bonding agency of the original contractor.
"Now you've got a couple of different insurance companies involved, lawyers involved, design engineers looking at how this work is going to be done, so it's all taken some time," he said. "But now we can say to the community that we're bringing in a long-term fix."
Lewis said the city looked at ways to try and keep the pool open during the work but said the scope of the repairs made it impossible. In a news release the city said the work will require heavy equipment on the pool deck and significant structural upgrades, none of which can happen while the pool is in use.
"It is a lot more complicated that just popping the windows out and replacing them," said Lewis.
Lewis said summer was chosen as the best time to do the work because the city's outdoor pools, wading pools and spray pads will be open. During the closure, the city will issue free passes to other pools for East Lions regulars. The rest of the East Lions community centre will remain open while the repairs happen.
Lewis admits the closure will put pressure on the city's summer aquatics programs — swim lessons in particular — where demand often exceeds the space available. Competition for swim spaces became worse in 2023, when council voted to permanently decommission Thames Park outdoor pool.
The need to close the pool over the summer is the latest chapter in a difficult history with the city and the East Lions.
Ground broke on the $21-million project in 2017, with construction originally slated to take two years. The 42,000-square-foot community centre includes a 25-metre pool, a smaller leisure pool, a large gym, a community kitchen and spaces for activities such as dance, aerobics and yoga.
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