While Laurentian University will make a decision based on its own needs, the manager of a company offering a pool remediation technique called RenovAction pinpointed in a repair options report for LU’s long-closed pool said it’s “the best technology” for the job.
Following the release of a March 2024 report by consultants JL Richards on repair options for the Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool this week through a freedom of information request by Sudbury.com, we spoke to Dan Thompson, Canada country manager for Myrtha Pools.
He said RenoVaction is the same technology currently being used to renovate a pool in Elliot Lake.
Besides the 25-metre Elliot Lake Ruben Yli-Juuti Pool, which he said should re-open in September, other Canadian examples pools remediated with this technology are the Montreal Olympic Pool, the Victor Davis pool in Guelph, the Point Claire Canada Games pool and the Etobicoke Olympium.
RenovAction, which has been in use for more than 40 years, is proprietary technology of Myrtha Pools, which is an Italian company.
RenoVaction is a permanent, long-term system that consists of PVC-lined modular stainless-steel panels that are installed within the existing pool structure and chemically bonded together. This creates a new waterproof shell lining that makes the pool functional again and is aesthetically pleasing.
This solution has a lifespan of 20-plus years and comes with a warranty of 25 years. It’s the most costly solution proposed in the report on the LU pool.
“We've got examples of this RenovAction system being in pools for over 40 years,” said Thompson. “You get basically a brand new pool out of it.”
The consultants who wrote the report say they “believe that the most cost-effective and quality result can be achieved through a full RenovAction repair.”
Other repair options outlined in the repair options report are more temporary, with a shorter lifespan of up to 10 years, and include filling cracks and installing a flexible membrane inside the existing pool shell.
According to the report, repair issues with the pool include voids and cracks, and the pool having been built in an area with a high water table.
Costs for the repair options in the report were redacted by Laurentian University. The reasons given for the information being withheld were mandatory exceptions in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act related to third-party information, economic and other interests and personal privacy.
Thompson said he can’t provide us with the cost estimate for the Jeno Tihanyi pool either, as he’s submitted a proposal to Laurentian, and he’s been asked not to disclose that information.
The Jeno Tihanyi Pool, which was built in 1972, was shut down in the spring of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and never reopened. In early 2022, with Laurentian University still undergoing insolvency restructuring, the pool started to leak.
With LU having exited insolvency in late 2022 and able to spend money on repairing more than the absolute essentials, Laurentian has been investigating what it would cost to repair and reopen the facility.
However, no funds were allocated to fixing the pool as part of Laurentian’s 2024-2025 deferred maintenance budget.
With user groups pushing to get the only Olympic-sized pool in the area reopened after its prolonged closure, discussions are underway with the municipality as Laurentian looks to collaborate with the City of Greater Sudbury.
At the April Laurentian board of governors meeting, Sylvie Lafontaine, LU’s vice-president finance, said the university is looking at the minimum required to get the pool reopened, but doesn’t have a specific date for when that might happen.
She said the repairs are a “question of cost” for the university, as LU needs to find a way of funding them. Also an issue are the operating costs, which the university can’t afford, said Laurentian’s new president, Lynn Wells.
A Laurentian-city partnership?
While speaking to us about the RenoVaction technology, Thompson, who’s past president of both Swimming Canada and Swim Ontario, gave his two cents on how the situation with the Jeno Tihanyi pool should be resolved.
The resident of Aurora, Ont. said he’s very familiar with the pools in the Sudbury area, as he spends a lot of time talking with municipalities.
Greater Sudbury’s municipal pools are aging, and a report on these facilities is due to be presented to council in September.
Thompson said he’s also aware of the importance of the Jeno Tihanyi pool to competitive swimming, as it’s the only 50-metre pool in the region.
“I do think that the Laurentian pool is a regional asset, and, you know, the pool is not in bad shape,” Thompson said.
He said he estimates it would cost $60 to $90 million for a brand new Olympic-sized pool to be built in Greater Sudbury, or even $35 to 45 million to build a 25-metre pool.
It would make a lot more sense for the city to partner with Laurentian to fix and operate the Jeno Tihanyi facility, he said.
Thompson said the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre is governed by a partnership between the University of Toronto and the City of Toronto.
“When I look at it, and this is me putting my swimming hat on, I think the best bang for the buck or the best value would be for the city and the university to form a partnership,” he said.
Swim coach: ‘If you don't have $5 or $6 million laying around, that's the problem’
After viewing the JL Richards report on the Jeno Tihanyi pool, the head coach of the Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club said it’s clear that RenoVaction is the best solution, but it’s going to be hard for LU to come by enough money.
Dean Henze, whose club was one of the pool’s main users, said he’s heard the figure $5 or $6 million bandied about, whereas one of the more temporary fixes would be under $1 million (although he admits those figures are hearsay).
“If you don't have $5 or $6 million laying around, that's the problem,” said Henze, adding that even that figure could increase to up to $10 million with the current environment of cost escalations.
He said the university also probably wouldn’t be eligible for government funding for a capital project of this type.
Henze said it’s in the City of Greater Sudbury’s best interest to get the Jeno Tihanyi pool up and running, as they already need to build a new aquatic facility, which could cost $45 million, “but if the university doesn’t open, they’ve got to build two.”
As for the condition of the Jeno Tihanyi pool, which is outlined in the repair options report recently released by Laurentian, Henze said he doesn’t see anything too catastrophic.
He said the voids under the pool tank seem to be shallow, and could be repaired by injecting sealing foam. “My fear was that there was going to be a bat cave under there,” Henze said, adding that the cracks in the pool are also a fairly easy fix.
“The one thing that catches my eye on that report is the seal between the walls and the foundation aren't good,” Henze said.
Asked if he thinks the Jeno Tihanyi pool will still be closed a year from now, Henze said he suspects that it will. He’s especially concerned the university has said it can’t afford the operational costs.
“There doesn't seem to be any motivation whatsoever (to reopen the pool) other than public scrutiny, right?” he said. “When people actually say, ‘Oh, yeah, we want it to open.’ And to their credit, they've gone through this whole engineering investigation route. So I'm grateful for that. At least they know what they're looking at, structurally speaking. That's awesome.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
