HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-04-22, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010.June deadline to confirmplans for North Huron pool
North Huron Township has set a
date it wants the nine-year North
Huron Wescast Community
Complex pool saga to be resolved
by.
Originally installed in 2001 by
Nationwide Commercial Aquatics
Inc. (NCAquatics), a group that
installs and services Italian-
manufactured Myrtha products, the
pool has been plagued with
problems including wrinkles in the
pool liner, leaks underneath the liner,
and rusting of drains since day one.
Most recently, wrinkles and leaks
started appearing in the pool’s lining
approximately three months after it
was repaired in March and April of
2006, and has worsened since then
while the Township has tried to
secure repairs.
The township entered an
agreement to have the pool installed
by NCAquatics, who claimed there
would be a 15-year guaranteed
warranty on the pool, which won’t
end until approximately 2015.
However, NCAquatics and
Myrtha have declined to repair, or
cover the cost of the repair, which,
according to a third party survey, is a
result of improper installation by the
contractors.
According to the director of
recreation and facilities, Pat
Newson, the problems are the same
ones happening over and over again,
and she can’t understand why the
company won’t honour their
warranty.
The township sent a letter on
March 17 to Keith Richardson, the
head of NCAquatics, outlining the
processes taken to try and remedy
the situation, and placed a timeline
on the eventual outcome.
“[The township] is shooting for a
September 2010 shutdown for one
month in order to have these repairs
take place... For the shutdown to
proceed in September, we have a
deadline of June 30, 2010, to
confirm these plans in order to make
these arrangements at our end,”
Newson said in the six-page letter.
Richardson, NCAquatics, and
Myrtha are depicted, in the letter, as
being slow to respond and
uncooperative with the township
regarding the repairs.
The letter suggests that several
attempts at contact were made oncethe problems were uncovered before
a third company, Hollandia Pools
and Spas, was sent by Richardson to
dive in and visually inspect the pool
in October, 2006.
The representative of Hollandia,
called only “Curtis” in the letter,
found no indication of misuse, and
found no cuts. The letter contends
that logically, Curtis’s examination
proves that the source of the
wrinkles was not due to misuse or
cuts in the liner.
Two months later, during a pool
draining, Curtis concluded that there
was water under the liner. This led to
the pool being refilled and used until
a technician from Myrtha could
evaluate the situation.
After nine months of attempted
contact with Richardson and
NCAquatics, the township decided
to contact Myrtha USA for help, and
were put in touch with Andrew
Tiffany of Almonte, Ontario, vice-
president and technical consultant
for Sustainable Aquatic Solutions.
Tiffany visited the pool in 2008,
and in late May provided the
township with a report and quote for
the repair of the pool.
The report indicated that the
majority of the wrinkles occurred
along the overlap weld, a place
where water can easily break
through. It also suggested that the
wrinkles may have been caused by
leaks near the various pool
accessories (the report cites floor
inlets and main drains as examples).
Newson states that nowhere in
Tiffany’s report is misuse or abuse of
the liner cited as a cause for the leaks
and subsequent wrinkles.
The letter then explains how
Richardson, or NCAquatics, failed
to return contact with Newson and
the township.
In January 2009, Tiffany returned
to the pool under Richardson’s
direction, and stated that the PVC
liquid seal used to waterproof the
main joint in the pool could allow
water to pass beneath the skirt,
causing the wrinkles. Tiffany noted
that the lifting of the PVC floor
markings indicated they had not
been installed correctly, and were
failing.
Tiffany also stated that several
returns were not completely
tightened. The pieces in question
were replaced when Hollandia did
the initial repair work in 2006, andwere incorrectly installed then.
Repairs, according to Tiffany,
should consist of a softwalk floor
and a one-way sub-drainage “tie-in”
to maintain the pool’s deep end and
allow any water that leaked under
the membrane to be discharged.
Myrtha, despite having a warantee
with the township, has offered to pay
for half of the equipment minus a
new style of floor (softwalk) that the
township would have to pay for. This
offer was made after a previous offer
to provide the necessary equipment
completely free of charge was
rescinded.
In current correspondence, both
NCAquatics and Myrtha still suggest
that North Huron pay for the labour
in the repairs, regardless of how the
cost for the equipment is handled.
Newson finished her letter by
stating that the source of any future
wrinkles must be dealt with in the
next repair.
The original source has never been
fully identified, and may not be, due
to the time elapsed.
The letter also states that, since
these problems are developing due to
the original repair in 2006, which
was covered under the warranty, this
repair should also be covered under
warranty, with no costs to the
township.
Newson goes on to reprimand
Richardson for not telling the
township about potential upgrades to
their design that may have saved four
years of problems when the 2006
repairs were completed. She then
also reiterates that this work is still
under warantee.
“We argue that the pool [was never
installed] right,” she states in the
letter. “Why [were the softwalk pool
and sub-drainage tie-in] not
recommended when the pool was
built? Why was this not part of the
intervention recommended as part of
the solution in 2006?
“We purchased this pool when the
technology in Canada was new. We
were made assurances then that we
had made a sound investment and
that we had a 15-year warranty. We
trusted your company... with our
funds and reputation. North Huron
purchased this pool on behalf of the
community that worked hard to
fund-raise the funds for this facility.
We are looking to your companies to
make this right.”
The request to release an Usborne
gravel claim returned to Huron
County council’s committee of the
whole at its April 14 meeting,
resulting in the official release of the
claim.
Director of public works Dave
Laurie was instructed by council to
compile a report and bring it back
before the vote to release the claim
took place.
Concerns were raised by several
councillors at the March 10 meeting,
with several councillors saying that
the claim should not be released
without compensation until a report
was completed so they knew exactly
how much gravel was left in the
pit.
After researching, Laurie spoke to
the contractor who worked on the
claim, who said that there was no
more gravel in the pit and that he and
his crew had dug down to the water
line.
After hearing this information,
councillors voted to release the claim
outright.
Duff’s United Church Presents:
“50 Years Of Walking Down
The Aisle In Style”
A fashion show of wedding fashions modeled by
past, present and future brides
Saturday, April 24 at 1:30 pm
Duff’s United Church Walton
Wedding gowns of local brides from Walton, Brussels,
Seaforth and area from 1960 ˜ 2010
Advance Tickets $20.00 • At The Door $25.00
Light Lunch • Entertainment
Tickets available at: Walton Inn, Dauphin’s Store,
George’s to Jo-Ann’s, Winthrop Store or call Jo-Ann 519-887-6570, Heidi
519-887-9348, Karen 519-887-9018
Londesborough Lions Club’s
1st Annual Fish Fry
Saturday, May 1
4:30-7:00 pm
Londesborough Hall
$12 per person ~ Preschoolers free
Take-out available
Tickets available at: Londesborough Restaurant,
Langford Lumber - Clinton, Walton Inn, Winthrop General Store,
Scrimgeour’s Food Market, Blyth
Join
Us!
Limited tickets
available at the door
All proceeds to Clinton
Salvation Army
Fire Relief Fund
The Pancake Mixer
Bill Bromley shows how the kitchen staff keeps up with the
demand for pancakes at the Londesborough Old Tyme
Country Breakfast on Sunday, April 18. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny ScottThe Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Huron County to release claim