At the beginning of last week’s Christiansburg Town Council meeting, Johanna Hicks made a motion to remove an agenda item regarding the Christiansburg Aquatic Center from the meeting to a work session after the Council received a letter from Town Manager Randy Wingfield.
The item was to award a construction contract for $10.587 million for the replacement of the HVAC systems at the Aquatic Center, and the letter, read for the record by Kim Bowman, details the impact of the current HVAC system, including the deterioration of bolts holding up lights.
The letter references a Setty HVAC and Evaluation and Study regarding the center and its conditions, which was released July 31, 2023.
“Excessive moisture is accumulating in the building’s structural blocks, leading to breakage,” Wingfield said in the letter. “Gas leaks have been detected in the Packaged Air Conditioning units due to rusted and corroded lines. If a leak occurs during winter, a minimum 10-week facility shutdown is required due to the turnaround time.”
The fire safety system is also unreliable due to the air quality and corrosion, which has led to “frequent emergency service callouts for false alarms.” A photo of a corroded sprinkler head is included in the Setty report.
Humidity within the center has contributed to the replacement of electronics and electronic systems, including the scoreboards, time clocks, computers and more, Wingfield said.
The “loss of several competitive swim meets has resulted in a direct revenue loss of $80,000-$100,000, and an overall economic impact loss of $3-4 million, including meals and lodging tax revenues.”
Additionally, health problems have also been reported to officials: “Patrons and athletes have reported visiting the emergency room due to coughing, asthma, headaches and other illnesses,” the letter states.
With no dehumidification system in place, the ceiling panels are replaced every few weeks as mold has been detected in offices inside of the center, and rust, which is visible from the front of the building, drops on customers and employees, and also runs along windows and walls. The letter notes that the rust is removed annually.
“Ceiling insulation in the form of white, soft chunks, is falling onto staff and patrons in the water,” Wingfield said.
The Setty report says, “While the poor [indoor air quality readings] can be easily perceived as the problems due to HVAC in a natatorium, in reality it is caused by a combination of water chemistry issues and less than optimal mechanical ductwork distribution layout.”
It further explains that “the organic materials from swimmers when mixed with the chlorine off gassed by the pool water chemically react to cause chloramines,” which are heavier than air. “If these chloramines are not displaced/diluted by treated air, will cause IAQ issues in the breathing zone which can be felt by the occupants.”
Setty’s summarized opinion stated “Considering IAQ in the building, financial efficiency of the units, current age and its inability to provide Model Aquatic Health Code/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommended standards, warrant the systems to be replaced with new systems capable of meeting and maintaining the IAQ, capital assets and financial efficiency.”
“Since August 2022, HVAC repair bills alone have amounted to $201,455, excluding costs for lifts, wages and manpower,” Wingfield said.
He added that specific warrant information for the proposed units is not available, which is one reason Hicks made the motion to take the matter back to a work session, she said.
“Why are we buying these things (such as a new sound system) if we have an air quality that is hazardous to the health of the people and citizens that are using them?” Hicks said at the meeting. “To me, it’s a big concern — it’s a health hazard right now.”
Council member Tanya Hockett said that taking an action was an “urgent need” and that Council had already discussed the need for improvements in a work session.
“We’ve saved money for the project… I think we need to take some action on this,” she said.
The motion to remove the item from the agenda failed, and later in the meeting the $10.587 million contract was awarded to Branch Builds Inc. Bowman and Hicks voted against awarding the contract.