Supports under change rooms need to be replaced

Mooretown Library above change rooms also will close until project is complete

Heather Wright/The Independent

It will likely be early 2027 before the pool at the Moore Sports Complex opens after contractors uncovered structural problems in the facility’s change rooms.

The issue is also affecting library services at the Mooretown facility.

The pool closed April 1 for a major renovation of the pool deck and change rooms. St. Clair Township, which owns the complex, has been upgrading the community hub for several years and has been planning work on the pool area since 2024.

The township received a $1.5 million provincial grant in 2025 to repair the pool deck.

The scope of the project was changed, adding renovations to the pools change rooms, before work began after contractors revealed the iron pipes in the change rooms needed to be replaced.

Then, July 29, the community services department said in an online update “unexpected challenges have been uncovered withing the building…These underlying issues must be addressed to ensure the long-term integrity of the complex.”

Tuesday, St. Clair CAO John Rodey said the problem is extensive and will require a number of months to fix.

“The pool is almost done. They’re currently tiling it, and the pool would be ready to go probably in October,” Rodey tells The Independent.

“Unfortunately, at the same time, we decided we were going to renovate the change rooms. When they started to renovate the change rooms and started lifting the tiles, they found that there was actually layers of tiles that, over time, they had tiled tile on top of tile.

“When they started to investigate further, they found that the supports underneath really weren’t sufficient for the weight that was being placed on them…the concern was is it looked as though the supports were starting to to bend.

“The supports underneath, so down in the basement, weren’t sufficient to really accommodate the weight that we were putting on it. That they were starting to fail. They hadn’t failed, but obviously there was signs that they could. So now we’re having to basically lift up all the tiles, put additional supports underneath, and then of course re-tile and then redo the change room walls,” Rodey added.

That will likely take until early 2027.

Without the change rooms being complete, the pool will remain closed.

Rodey said the lobby beside Rink Two will be also closed as will the Mooretown Library which is directly above the change rooms.

Lambton County officials said the library will close Sept. 7 and will remain closed until the issue beneath the change rooms is fixed.

“The closure will remain in effect until access to the library can be safely restored, which
will be dependent on the progress of the Mooretown Sports Complex renovation project,” said Andrew Meyer, general manager of cultural services in Lambton in a news release.

“During the closure, Mooretown Library’s collection will be temporarily relocated to other
Lambton County Library locations, so materials remain available for patrons to borrow.”

Rodey says engineers are currently working out a fix for the issue. He expects the work will add about $500,000 to the project, however the cost of the work won’t be known for some time.