The sounds of children, and those who are children at heart, screaming as they go down the Aquaplex water slide will not echo through the pool for awhile.
The Drumheller Town Council, heeding the recommendation of administration and an independent engineering report, have decided to remove the water slide from the Aquaplex.
Concerns were raised the support structure of the slide was deteriorating to such an extent, rehabilitation would cost more than replacing the slide. There was also the concern over how long the slide would remain safe.
“We’ve done numerous things over the years to keep it structurally sound, but it’s been an ongoing battle for years,” said Director of Infrastructure Services Al Kendrick.
The slide was installed in the early 1990’s. Since then, the Town has done repeated maintenance and repairs. The high humidity in the building causes the steel elements of the structure to quickly rust.
“We’ve sandblasted down to the bone, cut and welded strips here and there, redone the platform, and redone the stairs completely. The slide itself is getting a little thin and showing wear as well,” said Kendrick.
Last year, administration investigated replacing the corroding steel stairs that take riders to the top of the slide.
“Just for the stairs it was $97,750. Platforms and landings weren’t even in that price. All together for the stairs and platforms it was around $125,000 in 2011,” said Kendrick.
According to Palm Engineering, who were contracted to inspect the slide in August, a full rehabilitation of the slide would require the steel structure to be dismantled, replace all severely corroded components, sand blast and coat components, reassemble, and pour new concrete.
The report concluded the cost of rehabilitation would exceed that of replacing the water slide and rehabilitation was not recommended.
The Town will be looking to replace the slide with a new one with materials resistant to humidity. A new slide of equal or greater size would take until 2013 or 2014 to be realized.
“We’re going to look for something in the interim. It won’t be as grand as what we have now, but it would be something that could get us through the next two years,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “It’s a pretty important part of the pool, so if there is something we can do, we’ll do it, but it’ll all boil down to cost.”
Before a new slide is installed, there is one problem that must be tackled first. The high humidity of the building played a large role in corroding the old slide and creates nearly unbearable conditions for people during the height of summer.
“The first thing we have to fix is the humidity. It affects all the equipment we put in there, but, more importantly, it’s about the staff who are required to work in there,” said Yemen. “The priority is the humidity. If we get that taken care of, the longevity of a new water slide is going to multiply.”
It is hoped the water slide will be completely torn down by the end of September, while the Aquaplex is in its turnaround phase.
The Aquaplex slide has seen 20 years of service to the community and been a staple of fun for young and old alike. Due to deterioration of the steel support structure and concrete holding up the slide, the Drumheller Town Council decided it was time to tear down the slide. It is expected to be down within the month. The Town will then look into replacing the slide with more resistant materials.
