Pinkard Construction has just successfully completed water tightness testing and gutter installations at the City of Broomfield’s Bay Aquatic Park Phase IV renovation. These two critical winter milestones were accomplished exactly on schedule, aided by a creative winter installation plan, a timely procurement process, and a collaborative subcontractor/installer sequencing plan.
The water tightness testing phase followed concrete pool shell curing and the subsequent filling of the pool. After a three-day concrete saturation phase, Pinkard successfully conducted the three-day water tightness test of the pool shell and pressure testing of the 24,000 gallon surge tank. The water tightness test revealed virtually zero leakage, and the surge tank is operating at peak efficiency. The Pinkard team was fortunate to have a perfect-weather window that allowed for an uninterrupted testing sequence.
Stainless steel gutter installations, which came with a similar set of possible weather-related challenges, also went off without a hitch. The gutter installation sequence had a timely kick-off with gutters arriving four days before scheduled installation. The Ohio-based specialty installers arrived a day early and commenced installation on time, employing special winter installation processes that were perfectly suited for the colder temperatures and light snow cover.
These winter-weather construction efficiencies were made possible by early planning and collaboration during preconstruction. Using considerable input from numerous pool specialty contractors, Pinkard and the owner/design team agreed that for winter installation, a stainless steel gutter system was far superior to a conventional cast-in-place concrete gutter system. By incorporating the stainless steel system, Broomfield avoided the need for a more complicated underground piping system and tedious tile installation. Intricate tile systems typically require more predictable spring/summer temperatures. This approach provided cost savings for Broomfield and three-to-four weeks savings on the construction schedule.
The water tightness testing and gutter installation completes the last of the major critical path pool activities, opening the way for preparing the concrete shell for plaster application in early June. The critical path now shifts to pool play structures, infrastructure, and mechanical/ plumbing installations. The Bay Aquatics Park project continues to be on time, with shared owner/contractor savings allowing for some owner “wish list” scope additions.
