CRESTON & DISTRICT COMMUNITY COMPLEX

FACILITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

AUGUST 28, 2009

The most striking feature by far will be the wood beams in the new Aquatic and front lobby sections of the new construction. Made from engineered lumber which is then glued and pressed together into the beams you see, the pieces are then machined to accept the necessary brackets to make the transition from wood to steel. All members are coated at the factory in Kelowna to resist the moist atmosphere in the pool area and are hoisted into place with a large crane and bolted into place. Below, the main beams which can weigh as much as 8500 lbs are brought into the building area with 2 lift trucks. The good news it that we have recaptured our parking lot which will provide much needed space for Fall Fair, hockey games and all the other events this fall.

Some of the extra fun challenges we faced this past few weeks were the sudden downpours which had water coming in to places it shouldn’t normally because of roofing changes. These minor problems are all addressed as the new construction proceeds. The most recent site meeting had the architect and various consultants such as the electrical, mechanical and structural engineers inspect the project to make sure everything is on track.

Stairs and roofs are the order of business as we work towards buttoning up the outside. Metal corrugating panels called “Q– deck” are laid on the steel as well as the wooden beams and purlins over the pool as the roof base which is then cover with insulation and a waterproof barrier. Both sets of stairs - the main set around the elevator as well as the emergency exit stairs from the fitness room have been poured and are now in use for the construction crew.

The other set of stairs is into the small mechanical room in the basement of the new pool area. This metal set of stairs is called a Ships Ladder because of the style and will only be used for maintenance to access pumps motors and valves below the main mechanical room. All the holes in the walls are for piping to come and go from this room.

The slab preparation for the front lobby continues—the worker in photo is standing right where the main doors will come into building. While the plumbing is completed here, there s still approximately 1000 feet of electrical conduit to go into this area for lighting, power and security components. In the background is the James Ross Memorial pool having served its last patron on Sunday.

The Casecon boys continue to crank up the blocks at a great pace throughout the changeroom and mechanical area. The electrical room has been finished and Mayday Electric has the panels and switchgear in place for wiring. This portion of wall will be facing the lobby by the pool and houses the fireplace around the conversation area.

You will see some big changes to the old portions of the building the next time you are here. As much of the old, unacceptable building materials had to be removed, the remaining areas will appear somewhat industrial for a term until any new mechanical installations are completed. The up side is that we can see what once was hidden and improve or renovate any old wiring, plumbing or structural issues.

  This project is funded by The Canada-British Columbia Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, the residents of the Creston Valley, and donations.