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Roof Collapse
On April 14, 1973, Del Webb presided over the dedication ceremony that marked the opening of the
Sundial Recreation Center. The indoor L-shaped swimming pool, with lush plantings surrounding it, drew big crowds.
(Click here for Daily News-Sun 4/14/98 article)
In May, 1986, a sharp supervisor at Sundial noticed something wrong with the ceiling tiles
and brought in a cherrypicker to check things out. What he discovered was structural damage caused by humidity and chlorine
vapors.
(Click here for Daily News-Sun 5/9/86 article)
The building was closed for fear of roof collapse. It was determined that the air handlers
were not adequently removing humidity from the building. Three of four air handlers were not operating.
(Click here for Independent 5/21/86 article)
(Click here for EASY-READ TEXT)
(Click here for Daily News-Sun 5/15/86 article)
(Click here for EASY-READ TEXT)
There was a particularly contentious controversy about whether or not to use salvageable parts
of the old roof for the remodel. The board chose not to "put a failure back together" and spent $1,332,000
for an entirely new design.
(Click here for Independent 7/1/87 article)
(Click here for EASY-READ TEXT)
Not only did the board replace the roof, they also added a heated exercise pool, which
generated additional humidity and chlorine vapors to be expelled by the air handlers. In January, 1988,
Sundial was reopened.
(Click here for Independent 1/13/88 article)
In 2001, plans were made to add two steamy spas to
the room.
(Click here for RCSC Boardtalk May 2001)
During the remodel, there were problems with the floor plans
not reflecting correctly the location of the plumbing and electric lines, resulting in delays and added costs to the project.
(Click here for Sun Views, Jan. 2003, Page 17)
According to a former RCSC 18-year employee in charge of the air
handlers on the Sundial roof, the electricity to three of four air handlers was cut and not restored as of the end of
2005, when he left the RCSC.
(Click here to play video -- download time varies depending on internet provider) (The browser opera.com does a good job.)
He said that
during the 2002 renovation, the electricity was accidentally cut while sawcutting the chiller room floor. Though
he reported this to his superiors, nothing was done about it.
(Click here to play video -- download time varies depending on internet provider) (The browser opera.com does a good job.)
He added that, without
the air handlers bringing fresh air into the building and pulling the humidity out through the attic, the moisture could
not escape, which would consequently cause the wooden beams to rot. Of the four air handlers, the big one
in the middle and the two small ones on the east side were not working. The small one on the west side was
inadequate to the task of handling the massive amounts of humidity generated by a heated Olympic-sized
pool, an even hotter exercise pool, and two 102-degree spas.
(Click here to play video -- download time varies depending on internet provider) (The browser opera.com does a good job.)
The roof collapsed in June, 2006, six months after this employee left the
RCSC.
CONCLUSION:
In 1986, with only one pool in the room, three of four air handlers were not working and engineers determined
humidity to be the cause for the failure of the trusses, which threatened roof collapse.
In 2006, we
had the same scenario except, in the room, there were the Olympic-sized pool, a heated exercise pool, and two steamy spas.
This time the roof actually collapsed.
We can easily conclude that humidity caused the roof collapse.
This information contradicts the opinion that the roof collapsed as a result of "material defects."
Insurance covered the roof replacement in the 1986 incident; it should cover the 2006 incident, as well.
The cause is the same: Humidity.
(Click here for Judge's Opinion and Order -- 16 pages 24.65 MB.)
UPDATE 3/25/09:
Allegedly, there
was a settlement check for $4.3 million, which was not confirmed or denied by the RCSC board. Allegedly, the
repairs to the Sundial roof came in at $4.5 million, and there was an additional $1 million spent on upgrades without
a membership vote. The board is "hush-hush" because they claim "sanctions" will be levied against
them by Cincinnati Insurance if the amount received became "public."
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