In the long run, it is closer than building a new facility.
That is what Kevin Danyluk and Andrew Christopher of Associated Engineering told Town of Barrhead councillors during their Aug. 14 meeting when they recommended more than $736,000 of updates to the curling rink.
Councillors unanimously accepted the report as information and will forward the project to their budget deliberations in the fall. If it is approved, work could begin next spring.
The firm was brought in to do a visual inspection to determine what is the cause of an ongoing weeping issue, where condensation was dripping on to the ice surface.
“It is cheaper than building a new facility,” Danyluk said, noting the going rate to build a comparably sized facility is in the $4.6 million range, not including the cost of demolition.
Associated Engineering broke down the work into four categories: immediate, those items considered to be a risk to public safety, high priority, items that need to be completed within one to five years, medium issues that need to be resolved within five to 10 years and low items that can be completed within 15 to 20 years.
The report states the immediate items are relatively minor items, such as replacing existing doors with new ¾ hour fire doors for a cost.
The most costly issue and one deemed to be a high priority is the replacement of the roof and a new make-up air system and an exhaust fan at $595,000.
“If you go into the next season with the setup you have now you will wind up with the water coming through and causing those little stalagmites [of condensation] which probably rendering it unusable,” Christopher said.
The issue of water droplets dripping onto the ice surface was first noticed in the fall of 2016. As a stopgap measure for the last two years, public works staff draped poly plastic along the walls and ceiling.
One of the reasons why installing a roof is so expensive is that when the town first discovered it was leaking in the 1990s instead of taking off the existing roof and building a new one, it was decided to put a new one over top of it. Noting it was a common practice in Alberta and Saskatchewan at the time.
“So when we went up there it [insulation between the former and current roof] was saturated and it had to go somewhere so it found its way through the decking,” Christopher said.
To rectify the problem the roof has to be completely stripped before being replaced.
“A lot of times people say can we save some money and leave the wood decking on there. So we are going to take the 1990 stuff out but leave the 1970s stuff there and put a new roof on it and expect a different outcome?” Christopher asked. “Clearly that isn’t a viable option.”
He also noted that the $40,000 the town spent in the summer of 2017 installing whirlybirds to improve ventilation issues identified in a previous Associated Engineering report would in all likelihood have to be replaced as part of the roof replacement.
Adding to the condensation problem Danyluk said ther is a cut along one wall where there is potential that outside air is getting into the attic space.
“Humid air rises into this unvented area, you get condensation on these surfaces, it can then freeze and then melt when the sun comes out and drips down,” he said.
Coun. Don Smith asked if the construction of the aquatics centre had anything to do with the curling rink’s condensation issues.
The Barrhead Curling Club speculated in 2016 the construction of the facility, which is located next to the rink as the cause.
“We’ve talked to Mr. [Brant] Ross [public works director] and the contractor [Clark Builders] looked at their drawings, double checked other folks work to ensure the air gap between the two buildings was solid and found it is clearly the gap between the two roofs and not the building that is the culprit,” Christopher said.
Christopher added the deciding factor in the recommendation to renovate the building rather than replacing it, was the overall condition of the building.
“If the heart of the building [ice plant] was suspect it would make the overall expenditure a poor investment because you wouldn’t get the service life [25 to 30 years] out of it. This way you will get good life out of it, with a few little tweaks,” he said, noting the next step would be to talk to a roofing company and get the engineering to find out what type of roof the existing building could support.
Christopher noted the estimated life expectancy is dependent on ensuring proper maintenance is done.
“There is a pipe pitch, where all your pipes drain all the ice out of and that hasn’t been pressure washed for quite some time. It is little things that extend the life of a building,” he said.
Smith asked if there was the potential of finding additional issues once construction started.
Christopher said because the existing roof would completely come off, there should be very little in terms of surprises, the only caveat being if asbestos was discovered.
Mayor Dave McKenzie suggested if they are going to do the work they should investigate the possibility of raising the ceilings to make it more rentable in the off-season.
“We are at half-a-million right now, and if asbestos is there all of a sudden we could be talking about a whole lot more,” Ty Assaf said. “I know we don’t have the money, but this is an eye-opener not only for us but our partners [County of Barrhead] and I think we have to seriously think about building a new facility.”
Coun. Rod Klumph suggested by renovating the building at $600,000 it would give the town ample lead-time to prepare for a new build.
