Adventure Bay reopens after flooring issue

by Justin Prince

The Adventure Bay Water Park is reopening after being closed for four days to fix a safety issue with the facility’s floors.

The facility was closed from Feb. 24-28 after the City of Windsor received complaints about the floors being too slippery. To fix the issue, construction workers placed a sand-based coating over the original floor to improve its friction. The cost of the process was $40,000.

“It’s very, very noticeable,” said Don Sadler, the project manager for the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre. “It’s not going to be where it tears the bottom of your feet off. However, we did test the floor under wet conditions and the floor now has substantially more grip than before.”

According to Sadler, the coating used on the floor was chosen from four different types of coating that were placed on testing boards. The employees of the water park were then asked to feel which coating felt better suited for the complex. Sadler also said the facility’s floor now exceeds the coefficient friction standards set by the American Society of Testing and Materials. The industry standard for the rate of friction for flooring is between 0.7 and 0.8 newtons. The new floor’s friction rate is between 1.3 and 1.5 N.

“Inherently, any pool or water park is going to be slippery,” said Sadler. “We do caution people that it’s a wet environment and they need to be cautious when they are moving about in that area.”

According to Sadler, the cost of the coating was split four ways. The City of Windsor, EllisDon/DeAngelis Construction, Sika Canada and the original company that installed the floors shared the cost. Out of the share, the city had to pay $15,000, or almost 40 per cent of the costs.

“Even though the original floor met the ASTM standards … I think it was pretty obvious that everyone should step up to the plate and make sure that the place is safer,” said Ward 1 Coun. and Steering Committee chair Drew Dilkens. “That’s why all four parties said, ‘you know what, it’s a terribly small amount if we each contribute.’”

The water park has had about 14,000 visitors so far according to a report published by the steering committee Feb. 21. The facility has also sold over 960 annual memberships. Sadler said he hopes to see more people come once it reopens.

“We’re looking forward to people coming back,” said Sadler.