An unexpected discovery of water damage at the Nelson and District Community Complex will result in an expensive repair bill and keep the cardio room closed for the foreseeable future.
Last week workers found rotting wood underneath the concrete floor of the cardio room while installing air ducts as part of the ongoing swimming pool renovation. The revelation was made public during Tuesday's recreation commission meeting.
NDCC manager Marty Benson said the repairs won't affect the pool's planned fall opening, but the cardio room may not re-open until September.
"It's a lot of work and disappointment is a good way to describe it," said Benson. "The fact it has been found [means] we can repair it properly so we don't have any surprises down the road. That's the good part of all of this. But it was certainly unexpected and we didn't think we'd be in a spot where we'd have that cardio area closed for an extended length of time."
Jeff Phillips, project manager with the Regional District of Central Kootenay, told the commission he thinks the water damage is due in part to poor drainage in the NDCC parking lot. Benson, meanwhile, acknowledged the repairs would be costly but said any estimate would be premature.
The cardio room machines are currently placed on the rink floor, although they will likely be moved to make room for events throughout the summer. That could happen as early as Saturday when a roller derby event is scheduled.
Benson said his staff will do their best to keep the machines available to the public while the damage is repaired.
"We are doing our best to maintain access to the cardio equipment and allow people to work out as they would historically. It will be our gain to mitigate this as much as possible and, whatever the long-term plan is, that it's something that is going to be acceptable to [our users] as well."