Consultants hired by the city to conduct a feasibility study of the Norplex Pool visited the building for their first thorough assessment of the structure July 9, the City of Thompson says.
Councillors voted unanimously June 24 to award an $80,010 contract to KGS Group for the study to see whether or not the city should build a new facility or fix the existing one. Director of development services Harkamaljeet Gill wrote in a memo to council that KGS Group will perform all the necessary tests required to determine whether the building is safe or not. The consultants will also provide the city with estimates of how much it will cost to retrofit the facility for other uses if upgrades are not an option.
City engineers are also assessing whether there is sufficient space to build a new pool attached to the Thompson Regional Community Centre. Doing the feasibility study and planning for a new pool simultaneously will ensure minimal delay in determining the path to follow once KGS Group presents its finding by the end of August, the city said in a press release.
Council shut down Norplex Pool Feb. 13 after an engineering review discovered serious structural and electrical problems in the building.
