Once again, the main and children’s pools at Vesturbæjarlaug have had to be closed due to maintenance work. In recent months, the pool has repeatedly been shut down because of problems with the paint on the pool floor.
“We’re looking into three things,” says Rúnar Ingi Guðjónsson, head of the maintenance department for the City of Reykjavík, when asked about the cause of the problem.
“First and foremost, there’s the painting work itself — although we actually consider it unlikely that the work went wrong. Then there’s the material — we’re checking whether there was a defect in the coating. And thirdly, the structure of the concrete floor in the pool itself.”
According to Rúnar, the city plans to bring in two engineering firms to examine the matter more closely, and bids are currently being requested.
The pool may reopen next week
“We’re going to power-wash the basin from the inside and try reopening. If it turns out to be a recurring problem, then we’ll simply have to close the pool again,” Rúnar says.
If the cleaning proves effective, Vesturbæjarlaug could reopen next week. “If all goes well, we’re talking about opening sometime next week,” he adds.
“If it turns out to be a more serious issue, then the closure will last longer.”
Responsibility still unclear
When asked who is responsible for the problem, Rúnar says that is still unclear.
“We haven’t been able to take samples from the pool floor yet, because that requires a full closure. The original plan was to conduct a large-scale analysis next spring, but given the circumstances, we had to close now.”
Rúnar says that in the most recent round of work, more extensive measures were taken than before.
“We sanded off all the old paint and rebuilt over it to make sure the peeling wouldn’t come back. We’re now considering whether the adhesion has weakened since oil was banned in this type of paint. That’s one of the things we want examined more closely and get an expert opinion on.”
Considering larger-scale solutions
In his view, the city may need to rethink its maintenance approach going forward.
“The age of the building and the quality of the concrete are very important factors — everything has its lifespan. We’re therefore also looking into larger-scale solutions, such as using special pool liners instead of paint.”
The pool has now been closed for the fourth time in just a few months, though the closure only applies to the main and children’s pools.
It was first closed on May 26, and the reopening was delayed until June 19. It was closed again on August 18 and reopened a week later. Yet again, it had to close for 24 hours on August 29. After that, it remained open until the most recent closure on Monday.
Source: Mbl.is
