With the ice pads at Rotary Place shut down for the second time in as many months, the City of Orillia has called in industry experts to help determine the root cause of Legionella growth in its cooling tower.
The recent closure marks the second time since 2019 that the city has had to shut down Rotary Place due to a Legionella outbreak, and city staff said there is currently no timeline for when the arena will be up and running.
The decision to shut down the arena came after the recent Legionnella outbreak was linked to the cooling tower at Rotary Place last week.
“The City of Orillia determined that the safest option was to shut down the cooling tower until a root cause can be determined,” said Melissa Gowanlock, the city’s manager of communications.
“At this point, it’s too early to predict how long this process will take to determine the root cause and provide recommended solutions," she told OrilliaMatters.
“We will continue to provide updates to user groups and the public as more information becomes available.”
Since the shutdown in 2019, the city has worked with industry professionals to establish a “comprehensive program” which includes monthly testing for Legionella, Gowanlock said.
“Since 2019, the City of Orillia has worked further with industry experts and put into place a comprehensive program, which includes more frequent sample collection and analysis for Legionella, as well as a frequent schedule for cleaning, disinfection and regular inspection,” Gowanlock explained.
“The city continues to rely on the advice and recommendations of industry experts, including a mechanical engineering firm, to analyze the system for a plan of action moving forward.”
The arena’s various user groups have been without ice since Oct. 7, when issues with Rotary Place’s heat exchanger caused the city to shut down the two ice pads. Numerous hockey and figure skating clubs had to make do with the single-pad Brian Orser arena while city staff worked to address the issues at Rotary Place.
Once the heat exchanger issues were resolved, city staff raced to get the ice pads ready for the annual Orillia Minor Hockey Terriers Jim Wilson Classic tournament this past weekend.
However, last Tuesday, city staff once again announced the ice pads would be removed after the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit matched a legionnaires’ disease case with a Legionella sample collected from Rotary Place’s cooling tower, forcing the tournament to make use of other area arenas to move forward.
Gowanlock said costs arising from the current investigation will be brought forward to council, stressing the safety of the community is the city’s priority.
“The health and safety of our community is the City of Orillia’s No. 1 priority. Currently the city is working with an engineering firm to investigate options and costing necessary to provide solutions,” she said.
“Any additional costs will be brought forward to council for consideration. We continue to work with user groups to maximize bookings at Brian Orser Arena and minimize service disruptions and financial losses.”
However, city staff did not specify the costs of the shutdowns to date.
Gowanlock noted there are currently no “legislated standards for maintenance and testing related to Legionella.”
“The City of Orillia has regular maintenance programs in place for all of our ice facilities and works with professional refrigeration contractors to perform preventative maintenance and upkeep of our facilities. For monitoring, inspection and treatment, the city relies on industry experts who employ industry best practices.”
