By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Work is underway to remove equipment from the old swimming pool on Stapleton Road, but additional work is adding time and money to the process.
Councillor Bill Antle highlighted the work so far for his colleagues at Tuesday’s public council meeting. He noted the removal of the underground storage tank work requires additional fieldwork, which will add some $2,195 to the overall bill.
After analyzing soil samples from the site, Pinchin Ltd., recommended an additional phase of environmental site assessment be completed, which will total $21,318.
Moving from old swimming pools to new buildings, the site that will house the new community centre, which will include a splash pad and ice surface, is experiencing some setbacks of its own. The building is slated to be built on the grounds of the Team Gushue Sports Complex.
After completing two phases of an environmental site assessment, it was decided further investigation was required to identify the full extent of contamination found in the site, which totals at $49,154 as calculated by consultant WSP.
Councillor Antle explained the cost includes nine boreholes, and two monitoring wells.
“Depending on the test results, there is a possibility that fewer boreholes and monitoring wells will be required. In this case, the total cost for delineation would be reduced,” he said.
Councillor Isabelle Fry, after looking at the cost of the third assessment, wondered about the feasibility of removing the ground full stop, taking into account all of the rising costs.
Public Works Director Gerard Antle clarified the situation.
“This is a continuation of the investigation of contamination of the site,” he said. “The third phase environmental site assessment happens when you are into more defined, extensive contamination, and that's the extent to where we're at now. We’ve identified the contamination that's there, and this proposal is to determine the full extent and delineate the boundaries of where the contamination is to.”
Once they find the extent of the contamination, a decision will be made whether removal, or another form of mitigation will be pursued.
