Problems with the pool liner at the North Huron Wescast Community Complex have stemmed from day one. And despite several attempts at repairing it, the same problem keeps coming back.
Director of recreation and facilities Pat Newson explained the situation during a recent tour of the pool area with the Wingham Advance Times.
Most recently, wrinkles started appearing and spreading through the liner at the bottom of the pool and up the sides. The black racing lines have also begun to peel off the pool floor.
And despite the pool still being under warranty, recreation staff is finding it hard to get any acceptable answers from the Canadian representative for the Italian manufactured Myrtha product.
“This is the same thing as when you go to return a piece of equipment. They have to honour our warranty, they have been less than co-operative,” said Newson.
After almost a year of trying to get in contact with the sales representative at NCAquatics, and actually directly contacting the Myrtha manufacturer in Italy, Newson finally received a letter in early February from NCAquatics president Keith Richardson, as reported in last week’s edition. The letter outlined a course of action to find the problem with the liner, accusing them of not taking earlier action, and said that out of “goodwill” Myrtha would pay for the materials for the repair if North Huron paid the labour costs.
“Goodwill? We’re under warranty for 15 years,” said Newson.
And as an update to the letter, Newson said she’d received an email on March 1 that said Myrtha was only going to pay for half of the materials.
Newson also said that the course of action outlined in the letter actually was taken, just not by Myrtha technicians.
“Feeling uncomfortable with having the people who hold the warranty do the inspection, we got a third party in to do it,” said Newson.
They hired Acapulco Pools in 2009 to take a look at the welds, the structure, and the liner itself.
“We have no leaks, no groundwater issues,” she said, adding, they could see normal signs of aging on the liner, but nothing that would cause the problematic wrinkles.
She said NCAquatics was aware of the third party inspection, and even invited Richardson to come to Wingham, but was told she didn’t give him enough notice.
“So once again, we’re back to where we started... but it doesn’t negate the fact that they need to come in and fix the pool,” Newson said.
She said if it’s not a defect in the liner, which she’ s convinced it is, then the rec department would “gladly share in the cost of repair,” but as it is, it looks as though there’s no breach in the welds or structure, and there’s still over five years left on the warranty.
The liner in the pool has already been partially replaced under warranty. In 2006, the entire floor piece was taken up, and a new one welded down. The pool was closed for a month back then for the repairs, and Newson said that these new repairs will put
the pool out of commission for the same amount of time.
“From our point of view, this has been a nine-year battle,” she said.
She said this dispute is really for the ratepayers of North Huron and for all the pool’s members and users.
“The community really wants to see this pool at its best,” she said.
As for the shut-down, she said she is aiming for September, but nothing is set in stone until there is a written agreement with NCAquatics.
“We’re still trying to work with them. We have to find a month - will that be September 2010? We hope so, but there is a lot of ambiguity right here,” she said.
She added that pool members will be given plenty of notice and the opportunity to use the fitness centre when the pool is shut down. She said September is the most opportune time as classes and day camp programs will be wrapped up by the end of August.
Newson is hoping that when the time comes for the repair that that’s it for the pool.
“We hope this is the last major shutdown we’ll have to do,” she said.
She hopes to have some more clarity from the NCAquatics in the next couple of months.
Richardson did not immediately return messages left at his Toronto office as of press time for comment.