The pool at the Memorial Sports Centre is closing for this winter.

It is to accommodate much-needed structural improvements to the building.

The work will include the replacement of the structural roof columns and HVAC duct work.

There will also be work in the pool, including replacing the pool liner, pool deck, piping and pool deck fixtures to meet code requirements.

The town says the work is expected to take about 20 to 22 weeks to complete, with a tentative reopening in the middle of next March.

Interim Chief Administrative Officer Travis Rob says they were hoping to do the work this summer.

“We engaged a designer and engineer back in the wintertime to look at the pool and start preparing some design drawings with the intention of tendering that work for completion in the summer of 2023. Unfortunately, during that investigation, we found some deterioration that was far worse than what we had anticipated. That led to additional design work that had to be undertaken, which led to a delay in the completion of that design work,” says Rob.

Rob says the town also received a letter from their structural engineer indicating the deterioration was so severe that any snow load on the roof would make the building unsafe.

“So, really, we’re in a situation where we can either close the pool and make the repairs, or we can close the pool and not make the repairs. But regardless, we’re facing closing the pool for the winter months,” says Rob.

There have been discussions about having the contractor hired for the job about splitting up the job to permit a partial opening during the peak swimming season.

Rob says in initial discussions with the contractor, they could not promise they can actually achieve that.

The shutdown of the pool is slated to begin on November 6.

The cost of the work is to cost the town nearly $1.5 million, partially funded through government grants.

The job has been awarded to M Builds, a Winnipeg-based firm with offices in Thunder Bay.