Just a year after it opened, the UNIplex complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick was using buckets to manage water ingress problems. This is an unpleasant situation at a center worth $ 31 million.
The Dieppe city council did not want to answer questions from Radio-Canada, citing that it was a small problem and not a concern.
Via email, the City’s communications department provided some clarification. According to him, such a problem is not abnormal.
It is not uncommon for challenges to arise after opening a new building. This happened during the construction of the Center [Arthur J. LeBlanc] and the Aquatic Centersaid Julie Albert, communications officer and public relations officer for the municipality of Dieppe.
The vice-dean of the faculty of engineering at the Université de Moncton, Gérard Poitras, does not deny this assertion, but adds nuance by adding that such an incident is far from being small or normal.
Some fixes already
Roof problems are not recent. The City determined that water intrusion was detected at some particular location in some particular weather situation.
A municipal employee familiar with the matter suggests that repairs happen more often than he would like.
He assured that the problem would soon be solved. However, specific interventions carried out so far have not yet succeeded in stopping the flow.
On Tuesday, for example, containers for collecting water were placed on the walking track on the third floor and in front of the community kitchen on the second. So far, this water infiltration has not had any effect on activities.
The municipality said it is working with the manufacturer and installer to solve the problem and determine the source.
Although many reasons can explain the leak, improper membrane installation is the most common, according to Gérard Poitras. Once the cause of the problem has been identified, it’s easy to fixhis advice.
A guaranteed roof
The City of Dieppe ensures that no additional amount is paid for repairs made to the roof. The membrane is still covered by the manufacturer and installer’s warranty, for 20 years.
The supplier of the product is a company leased by the Quebec firm Pomerleau. The latter won the construction contract following a call for tenders launched by the City of Dieppe in 2018 and acted as general contractor.
Pomerleau did not respond to our interview request on Thursday afternoon.
Source: Radio-Canada
