Sherbrook Pool being examined by engineers

Winnipeg city officials say they are still waiting for an engineering report on the Sherbrook Pool, which was abruptly shut down late last month.

Residents who use the pool have been demanding details on why the pool was closed on Nov. 29, following an inspection of the 80-year-old facility.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the pool's closure, city officials told reporters on Thursday that engineers are looking at the pool from top to bottom to make sure the building is safe.

Iain Day, the city's acting manager of municipal accommodations, said he doesn't know when the engineers' report will be completed.

Maintenance staff at the Sherbrook Pool saw chipped paint on a supporting beam, Day said.

Engineers conducted a more detailed inspection after that, and the decision was then made to evacuate the pool and close it down, he added.

Sherbrook Pool remains closed until further notice.

Meanwhile, some seniors are circulating a petition to find out why the city has said little to date about the pool's problems.

Louise Lamb, who regularly attended aquasize classes at the pool, said she wants to know what's going on with the building.

"If the Sherbrook Pool is really so unsafe as to have warranted such an abrupt closure, then it follows that our safety, the safety of the pool staff and many other regular users of this pool has been at risk for some time. And that disturbs us," she said earlier Thursday.