The City of Kimberley has issued a press release saying that the Aquatic Centre is on track to re-open in late July after over three months of repairs required due to a catastrophic water failure.
Last week, City CAO Scott Sommerville told the Bulletin that there were still a few outstanding issues that had to be dealt with. Those issues are the installation of an improved alarm system that will call out when water is detected, and the modification of the hand-rail on the stairway that will allow for safe exit in a flood emergency. He also said that the City would have a decision to make considering the current labour situation.
However, Sommerville confirmed today that the pool will be filled regardless of the labour situation.
“Work to replace the electrical panels and pumps has recently been completed by a flood restoration company, and an engineer was onsite on July 19th to make final recommendations to ensure that the water main will not fail in the future. The insurance adjuster has given their approval to carry out the remaining work, so City staff will make modifications to the restraints and deal with corrosion that led to the initial flood,” the release says.
Once the work on the outstanding issues is complete, the pool will be filled, leak-tested and commissioned to meet insurance requirements.
The problem began on April 21 when corroded restraints broke and allowed the six inch water man to shift, filling the Electrical/Pump room in the basement of the Kimberley Aquatic Centre to the ceiling within minutes.
Damage was estimated at $200,000 by the insurance company.