Campus Announcements

Sports Center Pool Update

The structural engineering assessment of the pool roof trusses and window wall system is complete and ZGF is working on drawings for construction permits with the City of Portland. Those drawings should be complete by the end of this month. We anticipate it may be the later part of November before the permit will be issued.

We will need to position a large crane on the east side of the pool enclosure to be able to lift off roof sections and lower them to a flatbed trailer on the road between commons and the physical plant. All of the roof and the east window wall will need to be removed and the north and south walls will need to be stabilized until the new trusses are up and the new roof is in place to support them.

All vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be directed to detour routes during the times the loading is in progress.  The demolition, removal and rebuilding are estimated at six to eight weeks depending on the weather. The mature Douglas Fir tree adjacent to the east side of the building presents additional difficulties for this task. The tree would need to be radically pruned to allow for the swing of the crane.  This can have a negative impact on tree vitality. The proximity of the steam tunnel on one side and the pool foundation on the other greatly compromises the natural spread of the tree root mass. The crane itself will need to be positioned on the root zone for the duration of the work. This particular tree is located very close to the sports center and if it fails, it could impact the pool roof again, the commons, or the physical plant. It is with great sadness that I am recommending removal to avoid any further mishap in this area. It is a beautiful tree, but it is too large for its location.

We realize many of you rely on the pool for your personal fitness and health.  We are going to implement improvements as soon as we can safely do so and we appreciate your patience.

In further investigation of the sports center we also discovered a crack in one of the bottom chords of a truss in Gym I. It has not failed, but it is something we need to remedy.  We met with a truss specialist today.  On his recommendation the structural engineer is drafting the method of support and we should be able to make appropriate repairs in the next week or two.

This will make Gym I totally accessible this semester.  We will do some cable tensioning over fall break in anticipation of any winter snow load and work through a permanent plan for the entire roof truss system to be implemented next summer.

The trusses in Gym II are not damaged, but there is some deflection, so this will also be addressed. This is not a condition that requires immediate attention and permanent repairs to these locations will be included in the scheduled work for next summer. 

—Townsend Angell
Director of Facilities Operations

For more information, contact Towny Angell.
Submitted by Robin Tovey.
Posted on Aug 25, 2017

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