The parks and recreation department needs an extra $101,525 to address funding shortfalls that have been encountered during the completion of projects at the Kinsmen Sportsplex and Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery (MJMAG).
During the Feb. 1 regular council meeting, city council voted 6-1 to provide $45,000 to the department to complete repairs to humidifiers at the art gallery, along with $56,525 to address additional renovations to change rooms at the Sportsplex.
Funding for the museum project will come from the facilities building reserve, while funding for the change rooms will come from transferring $30,000 from a library floor replacement fund and $26,525 from savings in the YMCA building demolition project account.
Coun. Kim Robinson was opposed.
Art gallery situation
Building staff at the MJMAG have had difficulty keeping humidity within acceptable ranges, which has led to many service calls for support since November, a council report explained.
Provincial and federal standards for humidity in museums and art galleries is 47 per cent, with acceptable minor fluctuations from 45 per cent to 55 per cent. However, humidity levels in the museum are as low as 30 per cent and as high as 42 per cent. This threatens the MJMAG's collection, valued at more than $3 million.
The problem has been narrowed down to transducers in each humidifier that need to be replaced, the report continued. These devices regulate how much moisture is released in the air handling units and are rated for 10,000 to 15,000 hours.
There are 216 transducers that need to be replaced.
The department is investigating why the transducers have failed since they were installed in 2019 and haven’t reached the 10,000-hour rating yet, the report added. Municipal officials are also speaking with the initial project engineer and manufacturer to see how the devices’ lifespan can be increased in the future.
Sportsplex situation
There are $71,410.04 in change-order repairs that are required for the Sportsplex change room renovations, with only $14,681 budgeted for contingency, the report said. This means an extra $56,525 is needed from approved 2021 capital budget projects.
“Upon review of the project budget, it was determined that $12,795.54 in change orders were approved to proceed without the sufficient budget in place,” Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation, said in the report. “This was an oversight by the parks and recreation department, and operational changes are underway to ensure that change orders are approved prior to the work being completed regardless of how necessary the work is considered.
“An additional $43,729.46 is also required to address the change orders outside the original scope, which are on hold until proper funding is allocated.”
These two numbers add up to $56,525.
Council discussion
Coun. Heather Eby was pleased that savings were realized during the YMCA demolition project.
“It’s always good to know when something comes in under budget … so it’s a good news story,” she said, before wondering why the report said the adjacent Natatorium needed new windows.
Some windows were hidden or covered when the former YMCA building was beside the Nat, Blais explained. Now that that side of the building is exposed, the department has to update the windows to strengthen the building’s exterior and prevent unauthorized entry.
The next regular council meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 15.
