gym, solar heating, other improvements at tdycc

I asked Commissioner of Public Works Victor Carosi to provide the community with an update on the status of improvements taking place at the Theodore Young Community Center and Lois Bronz Children's Center. The following is a status report. Many infrastructure improvements are going to take place at the TDYCC (new gym, new ventilation system, new solar hot water heating system for the pool, heating and air conditioning system at the gym, possible flood gates at to reduce future flooding at the TDYCC).


We are sorry for inconveniences that community center users have experienced but believe that once the work is completed we will have a much better center --that will be more comfortable, more energy efficient, a more reliable pool, etc.. Thanks for your interest!

PAUL FEINER

The Department of Public Works is working on several projects at the Community Center to improve the pool and gym. At this time a project is being bid to replace the ventilation system at the indoor pool and to replace the heating and air-conditioning system in the gym. The pool ventilation system has been poorly performing for some time. Fans are often placed around the pool deck to help provide ventilation as the existing system is not able to provide a level of comfort expected. The Town is bidding a project that will replace and redesign the mechanical ventilation systems for the pool.

In addition to the replacement of the ventilation system, the Town secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in the amount of $169,000 to install a Solar Hot Water Heating System for the swimming pool. This project is construction included with the ventilation and air-conditioning project that is now out to bid. It is expected the Solar Hot Water Heating System will reduce the energy costs to heat the pool. Coupled with new work on the pool mechanicals, we expect the comfort of the pool and reliability of the pool heating systems to be greatly improved with both the solar hot water heating and new ventilation system.

Also now bidding with the pool project is a new heating and air-conditioning system for the Gym. Historically, the gym systems have been unreliable, poorly functioning and susceptible to leaking water onto the gym wood floor. They are noisy, disruptive and do not provide adequate cooling or heating of the gym at times. The Town plans to replace the existing units with new more efficient units. The new units will no longer be hanging from the gym ceiling, but will instead be installed above, outside on the gym roof. The new units are expected to provide much better temperature control to the gym and, as they are no longer in the gym, the amount of noise from the fans will no longer be a problem during events.

In the next week, bids will be received for these projects. A recommendation for project award is expected to the Town Board before the end of October. With no complications, we are expecting work to commence before the end of 2012 on the Solar Hot Water heating and ventilation system for the pool as well as new air-conditioning and heating for the gym.

Since last August, the gym has been closed from the flooding after Hurricane Irene. Flooding from the Manhattan Brook caused the old wood floor to buckle. The extent of the buckling of the old wood floor was compared to a skate park by some. The repair to this floor has taken considerable time. Asbestos was found contained in the glue that originally held the wood floor strips onto the existing concrete floor. This material required special handling to remove properly and not create any health hazard within the Community Center. The flooring, glue and all traces of asbestos containing material is now all removed from the gym. Recently, the Town Board directed that a new wood floor be installed as a proper surface for the Community Center gymnasium needs. The Town is nearing completion on the details and specifications for a new and improved wood floor. It is expected bidding will occur during October for the installation of the new wood gymnasium floor. If the project stays on schedule, the flooring installation should be underway during the winter months with an expectation to have the gymnasium flooring ready by the early Spring of 2013.

To help reduce the chances of future flooding damaging the TDYCC, the Town has applied for grant funding to implement a “ flood-proofing” project for the Community Center. Installation of a series of automatically operating flood gates successfully blocked stormwater from entering a hospital in upstate New York in a flood event. A consultant working for the Town suggested a similar system could possibly be employed to block flood waters from entering the TDYCC through the doorways. It was our experience during Hurricane Irene that the flooding of the gym and other areas of the Community Center occurred as water entered through the doors along the side and back of the building. By installing movable flood gates, it is hoped that future flood water will be blocked from these entrance ways. We have proposed this solution to FEMA and are now awaiting word on a possible grant award to fund this endeavor.

A final project nearing design completion is the replacement of the roof for the Lois Bronz Children’s Center. This project should be ready for bid also during October. Actual replacement of the roof may not occur until spring or maybe even summer of 2013 as roofing projects are very dependent upon the weather and temperature for construction.

In the coming year, the Department of Public Works hopes to continue to improve the Community Center as well as the Louis Broz Children’s Center so these facilities can continue to provide to the community for many more years.