Moscow aquatics center is 'structurally unsafe'
Moscow swim facility needs major repairs before swim season begins in June
Moscow City Councilors will hear Tuesday about the need for major repairs of the roof at Hamilton-Lowe Aquatics Center.
An inspection determined that until repairs are completed that "issues and damage to the facility made it structurally unsafe and closure of the facility was required...," according to a staff report written by Tom Grundin, the city's parks and facilities manager and community forestry administrator.
The item was added to the council agenda late afternoon Friday. A hearing before a council committee is being bypassed because of the short timespan before the swim season starts in June. The work should be finished beforehand, Grundin said.
Reliant Engineering, PLLC, of Pullman, was hired to assess the damage, which is thought to have been caused by exposure to outdoor weather conditions, according to the report.
The report said the HLAC roof section appears to have rotting wood in its supporting structures, and replacement of a 65-foot horizontal beam, other upright beams and many joints and support devices is advised.
Installation of a new translucent roof infill panel is also recommended by the report. This would protect the "to-be repaired sections on the south side of the lower portion of the roof where the open wave roof line currently exists," Grundin wrote in his report.
Evan Laubach, an engineer representing Reliant, said in his written review of the facility that the structural problems weren't caused by inadequate construction. While the project was completed according to the code requirements of that time, changes to the code that affect portions of structure were made soon after, however. Beams such as what deteriorated at HLAC are now better protected from the elements as a result of the code revisions, he wrote.
Two quotes were received for the repair project, with the lowest qualifying quote coming in at $46,000 from Quality Contractors, LLC, of Deary.
Staff will present a proposal for financing for the work.
The $3.275 million structure at 830 N. Mountain View Road opened in June 2000 and replaced the Ghormley Park pool originally built in the 1930s. The old pool closed in 1997.
Today's regularly scheduled City Council meeting was moved to 7 p.m. Tuesday since today is Presidents Day.
Terri Harber can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to tharber@dnews.com.
