The cost to repair and in some cases replace parts of the Jasper Activity Centre could cost taxpayers $13.4 million, more than double what administration estimated in December.
The new price tag includes a long list of renovations for the arena, aquatic centre, curling rink and multipurpose hall, all of which are beginning to show their age.
In December, Yvonne McNabb, director of culture and recreation, estimated it could cost $6.63 million to complete the renovations, however she cautioned the price would likely fluctuate as consultants finalized their cost estimates.
Group2, an architecture and interior design firm, completed its assessment of the facility in the fall and presented its findings to council on March 21.
It will still be months before a decision is made, if any, however, McNabb told council she would like some of the renovations to begin by next winter.
鈥淭he intent of the report was to evaluate the facility and provide an assessment of the immediate and long-term improvements and upgrades that should be contemplated,鈥� said Mike Ryan, intern architect with Group2.
To pay for the project the municipality would have to pass a borrowing bylaw and go into debt.
Currently the municipality has a total debt of about $4 million and can legally borrow another $17 million. In 2015, the municipality paid about $800,000 from its $16.5 million budget to repay its debt, including interest.
Doug Ramsey, principal architect for Group2, acknowledged that the municipality may not have the budget to complete the entire scope of the project at the same time, which is why the assessment includes a list of priorities.
Health and Safety concerns
At the top of the priority list are health and safety concerns, such as replacing and relocating the refrigeration plant to the other side of the arena. It is currently located beside the main entrance of the building and across from the Wildflower Childcare Centre.
According to the report, it would cost approximately $2.35 million to relocate and replace the refrigeration plant.
Other safety concerns include applying fire retardant spray to portions of the structure holding up the main floor, addressing corrosion around the steel columns in the pool area, replacing the waterslide and upgrading the air exchange system in the commercial kitchen. Many of the electrical and mechanical systems are also cause for concern.
鈥淭he majority of the main floor is not properly protected from fire,鈥� said Ryan. 鈥淚f there was a fire in the basement these members would experience weakening because of the heat and may collapse.鈥�
According to the building code, the structure holding up the main floor must be protected with fire retardant spray so that in the event there鈥檚 a fire the structure could theoretically support the weight of the floor for up to an hour.
Necessary replacements
The report also highlighted more than a dozen items that are necessary to replace because they are currently failing or could fail in the near future, such as the refrigerated slabs in the arena and the curling rink. Other items singled out include the chlorination system, the hockey boards and the Zamboni room.
In 2016 the municipality spent $135,000 to renovate and expand the Zamboni Room to make space for the municipality鈥檚 new Zamboni. Approximately $100,000 of that was used for a new water system and a natural gas line, which will remain in place whether the Zamboni room is relocated or not.
鈥淩ight now it fits, but it doesn鈥檛 fit well,鈥� said Ryan.
According to the drawings provided in the report, the consultants would like to relocate the Zamboni room so it can directly access Bonhomme Street. The consultants would also like to build four new change rooms, two on each side of the Zamboni room.
The estimated cost to relocate the Zamboni room and add four new change rooms is just over $2 million.
According to McNabb, the arena would likely be closed from mid-April to mid-September, during the off-season, to replace the arena鈥檚 refrigerated slab and the hockey boards. The remaining renovations, such as the change rooms, could take longer.
Operational enhancements
The assessment also provide a list of items to improve or enhance the operation of the building, such as upgrading the flooring in the multipurpose hall, adding more space for meetings and conferences, increasing accessibility to all areas of the facility and expanding the main entrance.
鈥淭hese are things that the user and the operators of the facility have identified to us that they鈥檇 like to see changed in order to make sure that they can continue providing programs and services and expand those services in the future,鈥� said Ryan.
In order to make the facility more accessible, the consultants have proposed installing an elevator so people with mobility challenges can access the basement and the lounge above the curling rink. They also proposed creating an accessible area in the arena.
If council approves moving the refrigeration plant to the other side of the arena, it will free up space to expand the main entrance of the arena, making it brighter and more inviting.
During the meeting the consultants also presented two options to expand the pool鈥檚 change rooms: either keep the change rooms segregated or create one large gender-neutral room that would incorporate single-user change rooms for privacy.
Both options would include relocating the entrance of the change rooms so users can鈥檛 enter the pool directly from the change rooms. According to Ryan, the current entrance poses an operational challenge since lifeguards are required to be on duty until the pool deck can be secured from the public and this can鈥檛 happen until after the family change rooms are empty.
Gender-neutral change rooms are the consultant鈥檚 preferred choice.
During the discussion Mayor Richard Ireland asked whether it would be more sensible to renovate the entire facility or tear it down.
鈥淭heoretically if you go into an arena that has an existing structure we should be able to bring it up to today鈥檚 standards, but is it going to give you the life-cycle costs that you had before? No, because your structure is still there, you still have some of the limitations of the design that was done in the 1960s and the 1970s,鈥� said Ramsey.
Paul Clarke
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