Mold, corrosion, and additional surprise expenses have come at a cost of $655,000 added to Penticton's 2025 budget.
City council voted unanimously on June 10 to approve the increases to the budget in order to make the necessary repairs and upgrades possible.
Two of the projects were due to the discovery of extensive mold growth.
An investigation into a leak in the men's washroom in Cleland Theatre led to one discovery, and what was originally going to be a small interior project in the City Yards' office trailer led to the second.
City staff asked for $180,000 in order to remove all of the affected drywall and flooring in the mens and women's bathrooms at Cleland will have be removed, and all of the plumbing fixtures and counters would be temporarily removed while the mold damage is abated and repairs are done.
The work on the Cleland Theatre washrooms is currently scheduled in August.
Repairing the trailer on the other hand was not considered a feasible option, and staff instead asked for funds to move up plans for converting an open bay in the electrical building at the City Yards and turning a portion to office space for a cost of $250,000.
Coun. Isaac Gilbert raised the question of whether the offices would be permanent in that space. Staff responded by stating the plan is to use the space for several years while other office space is created, at which point it will be turned into storage as originally planned.
Only $40,000 would go towards the office section, with the majority of the costs being taken up with the necessary expenses for enclosing the space.
Additional costs to meet BC Building Code requirements, remove the old concrete pad and add additional exterior accessible potable water were cited by staff in their request for an additional $100,000 to put in washrooms and changing rooms at King's Park, on top of the $550,000 already budgeted for the project.
The last surprise project came after staff were able to inspect the brine header at McLaren Arena during downtime when it wasn't covered with ice. That inspection found severe corrosion and the potential for imminent failure, with just a month ahead of the July 2 summer ice season.
Installation would take two weeks, and fabrication takes three weeks. The staff report said they are planning to start producing the ice as normal and hoping that the header doesn't fail before it can be replaced, allowing for at least some use of the arena by the community before the replacement.
The funding for the extra costs of the Kings Park project and for the Cleland Theatre washrooms will be covered through funds left over after the initial design for the combined service Community Safety Building was completed under budget.
The office space will be funded through the city's electrical utility reserve, and the McLaren ice maker will be funded through money saved out of the budget for the Community Centre fire suppression refurbishment budget.
