Rimbey town council is weighing the best options to deal with the severely water damaged hardwood floor in the main auditorium of the Peter Lougheed Community Centre caused by a leaking water filled base of a basketball net.
At its meeting, April 28, council discussed the issue and looked at possible options to fixing the problem.
Removing sections of the floor in the four areas which are suffering from water damage, and replacing and resealing the hardwood in those sections would cost approximately $10,000. While this is the cheapest option, the repaired areas will be noticeable.
Another option is to remove sections of the floor in the four damaged locations and replace with new hardwood, then refinish the whole floor including new floor markings for the courts.
This option would reduce the visibility of section repairs, but would double the cost.
Mayor Rick Pankiw said the first step in dealing with the damage is to keep fans turned on in the auditorium constantly for approximately two weeks in the hopes that the floor may dry out.
“Right now the floor is lifting. We are hoping the fans will dry it out enough so the floor will settle and minimize the damage.”
Pankiw said there is a possibility the new hardwood will not mesh with the hardwood now in place, which will mean the entire floor will have to be replaced.
This unknown factor needs to be taken into consideration if council decides to go with the $20,000 option, as it may prove to be only a short term solution, even though it would be more aesthetically pleasing, he said.
Council, in 2011, voted two to three to purchase the $80,041.95 hardwood floor for the main auditorium.
MLA Joe Anglin, a former councillor, made the motion to purchase as the hardwood. Former Coun. Gayle Rondeel and former mayor Sheldon Ibbotson voted against the motion.
The leakage could have been avoided if the base of the basketball net was filled with sand instead of water, said Pankiw.