BARRHEAD — Balking at the prospect of spending $15,000 to install sliding doors along the hallway leading to the change rooms, the Town of Barrhead will explore some other solutions to the ongoing problem of cold air on the pool deck at the Barrhead Regional Aquatic Centre, which has spurred many user complaints.
During their Aug. 22 meeting, town councillors passed a motion to accept for information a report from chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc on the proposed capital expenditure.
LeBlanc said the aquatic centre used to have heavy plastic curtains at the entrance of both change rooms, but these were removed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never replaced due to health concerns.
Last winter, LeBlanc said there were a number of complaints about the cold temperature on the pool deck area. The recreation department believes this is because there is no longer a barrier at the entrance of the change rooms and cold air is moving from the main entrance and down the hallway.
The proposed solution was to install sliding doors in the hallway, which has now been estimated to cost $15,000. If council approved this expenditure, LeBlanc said the doors would be installed in the new year, with the necessary funds coming out of the 2024 capital budget.
He presented council with three options: to authorize the project to go ahead, to simply accept his report for information or to table the report and come back to the next council meeting with answers to any questions they might have.
Coun. Don Smith said he had a hard time believing that cold air was somehow escaping through the front door, moving down the hallway and through the change rooms, and then finally settling in the pool deck area.
“I wish that there was some way of proving the statement that that pool deck is colder because of the cold air rushing into that building,” Smith said.
Coun. Rod Klumph said he also had a hard time believing a draft of cold air from the front door was cooling off the pool deck and suggested that it might instead be a heating problem.
Coun. Ty Assaf asked if there was a rear exit to the building — there is one that is used by staff — and wondered if that was bringing in the cold air.
LeBlanc said that if there was a bit of hesitation over the expenditure, then they could simply go with the option of accepting the report for information. He suggested that he would have some discussions with the rec department about gauging the temperature on the pool deck.
