The city will spend about half a million dollars replacing a ventilation unit that is failing prematurely at Servus Credit Union Place.
City council heard Monday that the unit that provides ventilation for the aquatic centre will face a “catastrophic failure” if the city tries to push it through another winter. Such a failure would close the pool area for upwards of three months, said general manager of community and protective services Chris Jardine.
The unit in question is more environmentally friendly than a standard air exchanger because it captures heat from outgoing waste air and transfers it to incoming fresh air.
“It appears that we got caught up in what was a really hard push for leading edge technology which is turning out is not necessarily the best for swimming pools. It’s something that everybody in the industry is learning,” Jardine said.
The air handler is one of about 10 that provide ventilation to the entire recreational facility. It’s failing because moist air from the aquatic centre is causing corrosion and premature failure of internal components, council heard.
The system is now being completely redesigned so moist air is exhausted without getting into the mechanical system, Jardine said.
Units of this type normally last 20 to 25 years in an office building but was expected to provide 10 to 12 years of use in a swimming pool. This one lasted only five years.
Mayor Nolan Crouse wondered at the sudden timing of the funding request, months after council has completed the city’s 2011 budget.
“Why didn’t we see this six months ago?” he asked.
Malcolm Parker had a similar concern.
“I would have thought with regular inspections we would have caught this earlier,” he said.
Facility staff have known about the problem since the facility opened and have been working with the architect and engineers to try and find a solution, said facility director Diane Enger.
“We hoped that we wouldn’t have to replace the unit,” she said.
The original unit came with a one-year warranty, council heard.
The total cost of replacing the unit is $517,000. Engineering firm Stantec will contribute $212,000, leaving the city to pay $305,000. This will come out of the reserve set up to provide ongoing maintenance for the facility.
Council approved the request unanimously.
“This is why we have reserves,” said Coun. Cathy Heron.
The architect, engineering firm and builder who were involved during the initial design and build of the facility have also provided $133,000 worth of their time for project management, design development and consultation.
The city did a reasonably good job of negotiating some cost sharing, said Lynda Flannery of the St. Albert Taxpayers’ Association.
But the situation illustrates the risks of going green.
“Administration gambled with taxpayers’ money on the environmental front without fully understanding the risks of doing so,” Flannery said. “I dare say the costs of this mistake will more than override any potential environmental savings for the entire facility.”
