Laurentian University was spending increasing amounts of money in the hundreds of thousands on fixing its Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool in the last two years of its operation.
With Laurentian stating that in addition to not being able to afford to fix the pool, it also can’t afford to operate it, we submitted a freedom of information request this past summer.
We received some information back from the university Nov. 19.
The Jeno Tihanyi Pool, which was built in 1972, was shut down in the spring of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and never reopened. In early 2022, with Laurentian University still undergoing insolvency restructuring, the pool started to leak.
Our freedom of information request was for operational costs for the last five years the pool was in operation. Specifically, this was for the 2015-2016 financial year through until the 2019-2020 financial year.
Part of what we received as part of our request was maintenance costs.
Information provided by Laurentian shows that altogether, the university spent nearly $424,000 on maintenance to the facility in the 2020 financial year, and almost $368,000 the year before.
Big bills for maintenance in the 2020 financial year include corroded deck infill construction for $281,753 and a domestic hot water tank replacement for $67,472. The year before, 2019, Laurentian spent $333,003 alone on a heating boiler replacement.
Bills for maintenance were lower in previous financial years for which we received the information — in 2018, maintenance costs were $85,475, in 2017 they were $10,305 and in 2016 they were $18,283.
The information provided by the university also shows how much Laurentian was paying to staff its pool.
Wages for part-time staff increased from $130,396 in 2016 to $143,797 in 2020, while the wages for full-time staff decreased from $84,101 in 2016 to $30,297 in 2020.
A salary for a pool operator is separately listed starting in 2018, with a salary of $40,237 in 2018, $58,941 in 2019 and $59,842 in 2020.
The cost of aquatics supplies have varied over the years, from as much as $25,466 in 2016, to as little as $5,583 in 2018.
In releasing our freedom of information request, Laurentian noted that it “does not have records solely pertaining to the operating costs for the Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool with respect to gas, heating and water.”
In June, Sudbury.com also received through a freedom of information request a consultant’s report on repair options for the long-closed pool, although costs were redacted.
The report said there are “areas of varying degrees of corrosion or contamination within the pool walls and localized voids below the pool floor in the area of the shallow end and ramp.”
It presented repair options that vary in scope, capital cost and design life, including the most costly and long-lasting, RenovAction repair, which is the same type of technology used to rehabilitate the Elliot Lake Ruben Yli-Juuti Pool.
Laurentian University provides regular updates to the community on the status of the Jeno Tihanyi pool file, the latest of which came out in October. The university said it’s seeking vendors interested in taking part in potential repairs to the pool.
The email said the request for expressions of interest (RFEI) aims to gain an understanding of the availability of third parties and their capability/capacity.
“We seek to better position the university to find the external partners needed to fund a project of this size and complexity,” said an October email from Laurentian. “We feel as though this RFEI will also inform further discussions with the City of Greater Sudbury.”
A review of local aquatics facilities by the City of Greater Sudbury, which was presented to city council in October, put forward the case for collaboration between the city and Laurentian University when it comes to getting the 50-metre pool back into operation.
The city should consider establishing “service agreements” with Laurentian and the YMCA, another non-municipal pool operator, according to one of the strategic directions in the report, which labels this as a high priority.
The report also said that Greater Sudbury should “encourage Laurentian University to begin planning for the major revitalization or replacement of the Jeno Tihanyi Pool within the 25-year horizon of this plan.”
Laurentian president Lynn Wells said in September that she hopes the city’s aquatics review would “shake loose some partners” to help get LU’s pool reopened.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
