Port Moody city hall is bracing for its own leaky condo crisis after a detailed assessment of the civic centre showed the building is in much worse shape than anticipated, with repair costs skyrocketing to nearly $4 million $3.1 million more than the original estimate.
An investigation by Elemental Architectural and Building Science found water damage on the roof, masonry walls and windows, significant construction deficiencies of the curved masonry walls, a lack of drainage behind the synthetic stucco and both construction and material deficiencies in the masonry veneer system, as well as many other issues.
The estimated repair cost is $3.8 million (with a +/- 30% accuracy projection), which is significantly higher than the $675,000 that was approved last year for repairs to the civic centre.
That amount was based on an initial assessment by RDH Building Engineering in 2013; the more detailed investigation by Elemental found "a number of the systems of the building envelope of the civic centre were in considerably worse condition than initially estimated," according to a staff report.
Repairs of this magnitude are expected to have a significant impact on the city's 2016 budget, said Mayor Mike Clay.
Council is waiting for the results of a similar assessment of the recreation complex before discussing the issue at the finance committee as part of discussions around the long-term asset management plan.
"We need to see what needs to be done immediately and what needs to be done at the same time," Clay said, noting the $3.8-million estimate includes "a lot of worst-case scenarios" and the cost projections will be refined as the investigation moves forward.
The civic centre was built in 1994, before changes to design and construction methods in the wake of the leaky condo crisis.
According to Elemental, building features such as poorly designed parapets and the absence of roof overhangs to protect walls have damaged the exterior insulated finish system (EIFS), also known as synthetic stucco, because of significant water penetration.
Elemental's moisture probes showed 85% had readings greater than 1%, which does not meet the recognized standard for exterior-grade gypsum. The material was installed with no drainage cavity in the walls, giving them little opportunity to dry out.
Failure of the masonry walls was found at vertical joints and on the surface, where the finish is falling away from the building, and evidence of long-term leaking was found on the south wall and at the library.
And while Elemental did find a bright spot the metal panels show no signs of failure the brick and roof, which is past its 15-year life span and is in dire need of replacement, can't be fixed without taking the panels apart.
Replacement of the skylights are also needed after Elemental discovered the seam joints are leaking, the insulation is wet and there is no vapour barrier.
"Everything ties into everything," Elemental noted in its report, stating the windows need to be removed to replace the EIFS and the roof, and to repair the brick.
Glass guardrails on the upper patio must also be reinstalled due to grout that has failed, which creates a "life safety hazard," the report states.
Clay said council will need to consider the detailed assessment for the civic centre and recreation complex and prioritize the work.
RDH's assessment of the rec complex found there was overdue maintenance estimated at $903,000 and keep-up costs of nearly $2.1 million.
Clay said there are problems with the older part of the building and where the old and new structures come together.
"It's a lot of money for us and our plans don't contemplate that sort of expense," Clay said. "Either we find new funding or we're going to be juggling our priorities around."
@spayneTC
