The Turner-Roberts Recreation Center in Northeast Austin will be shut from August 1 until early 2012 so the city can conduct a structural investigation on the 7,700 square foot facility.
Last year, the building experienced some “structural movement”, according to David Smythe-Macaulay, a project manager with the City of Austin’s Public Works Department.
“We brought in the architect and a forensic engineer to look into the cause of the movement,” Smythe-Macaulay said. “And hopefully come up with repairs and get those done.”
The investigation will require digging a lot of holes, including one straight through the gymnasium floor. The holes will allow investigators to get a closer look at the foundation. They’re also going to dig several test pits around the perimeter of the building.
Existing programs at the facility will be moved to other City of Austin recreation centers. Those programs include a summer day camp for teens, an activities club for senior citizens, and weekly meetings of the Colony Park Neighborhood Association.
“The center’s staff has made great effort to let them know about what was going to take place well before we announced that the center was going to have to be closed,” City of Austin Parks and Recreation spokesman Victor Ovalle said.
