Since hearing a report in September from a consultant regarding conditions at the Fountain Hills Community Center, there has been significant immediate activity to address concerns related to water damage at the facility.

The most significant effort has been the testing by an industrial hygienist for microbial presence such as mold inside the walls. That testing revealed no elevated readings inside the building. However, a remediation contractor was hired to remove portions of the wall to treat microbial conditions. That work was completed in the lobby area just last week.

On Nov. 15, the council heard an update from Gene Buick with the firm of Allana Buick and Bers (ABB). The firm was hired early this year to evaluate the condition of the building after it was discovered there was significant water infiltration into the building along with damage. The extended scope of the situation was noticed during renovations done to the building last year.

One of the more noticeable impacts is a musty odor and dampness in the building. This raised concerns on the part of some council members about mold or mildew and potential health effects for employees or citizens in the building. That prompted the air sampling and microbial testing.

Buick said there have been other projects ongoing to address near-term goals. An HVAC air balance test was performed, and that report is pending. Sewer line contractors have performed sewer line camera inspections to bid on pipe relining.

Also, a qualified architectural firm has been contacted about reviewing the overall project needs and design for repairing the building as a long-term project.

A caulking contractor was asked to quote wet sealing the windows. That work has begun. If the new sealant tests are successful, it may serve as a long-term solution to delay potential replacement of windows.

Work is also underway to test roof covering for an overall roof restoration. A contractor was to install an 850 square-foot section last week. Staff is also working on mitigating areas where roof drains leaked into the building.

A contractor has removed, reset and replaced as needed up to 10 door thresholds where there was leaking.

The effectiveness of near-term repairs will be evaluated through performance testing with spray testing of window sealant, door and sills. The spray testing was done as part of the initial evaluation by ABB, which found up to two dozen leak locations at locations around the entire building.

There will be grinding and sloping and trench drains installed around the building to help move water away from the site.

The rough costs for much of the near-term repairs are estimated at $255,000 to $355,000. It is expected to take through June 2023 to accomplish the near-term repairs on the property.

ABB has recommendations related to long-term abatement of the building problems. Those include removal and replacement of all doors and windows. There are also associated repairs that will need to be made in conjunction with such replacement including stucco, painting, concrete work, interior drywall adjacent to doors and windows and possible sheet metal work.

The scope of the replacement is subject to adjustment or reduction depending on the effectiveness of the immediate and near-term repairs. ABB is estimating the costs of the 100% replacement of windows and doors at $3 million to $4 million.

It was also suggested that the construction of the Library/Museum building, built at the same time as the Community Center, and Town Hall be evaluated for similar issues.

A preliminary schedule for the project would begin with retaining an architectural firm to evaluate and design repair in January. In about one year, water intrusion mitigation efforts should be retested for effectiveness.

That should be followed by a capital improvement budget. Solicitation of construction bids would be scheduled for summer 2027 with construction to begin in the spring of 2028.

The Community Center groundbreaking was in the summer of 2000 with opening in the fall of 2001. Target General was the contractor, and the architect was Hoffman-Dietz.

Town Public Works Director Justin Weldy stated that moisture issues with the Community Center have been long thought to be coming from underground moisture beneath the building and efforts have been made to mitigate that through sealant and other steps.

Last summer there was a project to make upgrades to the Community Center and at that time numerous points of leakage were discovered. Last summer Fountain Hills also experienced a particularly heavy monsoon with as much as 10 inches of rain over two to three months.