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Orangeville cuts cheque to cover Alder pool reno shortfall

September 12, 2024   ·   1 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Orangeville council signed a cheque for almost $1-million to finish the work at the Alder Street Recreation Centre swimming pool.

So far, as much as $10,304,143 has been spent on replacing the pool liner, council was told when it met on Sept. 9.

The initial cost estimate for the work in July 2021 was $4.3 million. It’s estimated that the whole area when it was built, including the ice rinks and other features, cost about $20 million.

Heather Savage, the town’s corporate services general manager, said some money may be reclaimed by way of legal means or an insurance claim.

“Which we are continuing to pursue,” Savage said.

During the council meeting Sept. 9, it was agreed to pay $960,291 from the town’s general capital reserve fund to pay for the remainder of the project.

In June 2023, council approved an additional $3.3-million to address necessary remediation work of the soil, structural damages, and concrete work at the pool.

The project was completed in April 2024 and opened to the public a month later. But reconciliation of the final costs and hold-back payments indicates there is a shortfall of $960,291.

According to a report to town council, the shortfall is mainly due to updating estimates to reflect actuals, additional remediation and landscape work, project management, and legal fees.

The town hired Austin Carrol Pool Construction Ltd. in April 2021 to replace the lap pool’s liner which was to be completed by December 2021. Multiple issues and deficiencies were discovered which caused the renovation to take much longer than expected.

Over time, the scope of the project changed significantly with some enhancements such as the addition of two lanes and various spray features. But multiple change orders were required to address major deficiencies such as water damage, continued remediation of the soil, and concrete and plumbing repairs.

Those were unexpected as the construction project progressed.

The recreation facility’s pool re-opened in May.

Now that the pool project is complete, it was determined that a shortfall of $960,291. This shortfall is attributed to the hiring of additional sub-contractors for plumbing, geotechnical work, and concrete; legal fees; and project management fees. The entire aquatic facility and window washing were painted, and enhancements were completed at the changerooms.

The last report to council in June 2023 included figures based on estimates, and the non-recoverable HST was not factored in.

To keep the project moving, according to the report to council, staff hired a project manager to oversee the progress, provide professional advice as to how to manage the deficiencies in the best interest of the town (not the contractor), and ensure high-quality results.

Staff are currently pursuing an opportunity to recuperate some of the costs through litigation and an insurance claim.

The pool now is an energy-efficient eight-lane lap pool, a leisure pool with teaching steps and a seating area, as well as spray features and a TSSA-approved slide.

The report to council indicated that staff were overly cautious and ensured the structural integrity of the facility is sound and will optimally operate for many years to come.

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