The swimming pool at Mount Allison will soon be closed down for the summer months as work is completed on a series of upgrades at the facility.
The retrofits will get under way this month at the pool, which is located in the university’s athletic centre on York Street.
“We hope to get going on this within the next few weeks,” said David Stewart, Mount A’s vice-president of administration.
The much-needed improvements will include a roof replacement, as well as installation of a new dehumidification system, a purification system and a sprinkler system.
The $2.2-million dollar project, which will see a portion of its costs covered by the Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) program, was initially expected to get under way last month but was delayed when the tender came in 33 per cent over budget, said Stewart.
As a result, several adjustments have been made to the tender to bring it in on budget – including downgrading the roof project from the original proposal to replace the entire structure, as well as splitting the work up into several smaller contracts instead of one larger tender.
“We’re hoping to have the work completed by the end of September but we certainly can’t guarantee that,” said Stewart. “We are very aware, however, that the longer we go, the more adverse impact it will have on the users.”
The athletic facility, which is more than 45 years old, is heavily used by students, faculty and staff of the university, as well as residents of the community. Stewart said the upgrades to the pool are “sorely needed” and pointed out the work needs to be completed this year in order for the university to access the grant funding
