City of Aurora says it will not investigate the HVAC collapse at Gaylord Rockies Resort
Two days after six people were hurt after HVAC equipment came crashing down in the pool building at Gaylord Rockies Resort, city leaders said Aurora was not in a position to investigate the cause.
Two people were sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. There were between 50 and 100 people, including children in the pool complex when the ductwork fell Saturday morning.
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"The city's Building Division in Public Works is similarly limited in its authority over incidents on private property," a statement from the city said. "While it completed more than 60,000 inspections at the resort prior to the facility's opening in 2018 to ensure compliance with the International Building Code, it is the property owner's sole responsibility to address ongoing maintenance and operations issues on the property. Consequently, it is the property owner's responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation involving professional engineers and other experts to understand what caused Saturday's structural incident."
Buildings like the Gaylord Rockies are maintained by the owners and HVAC equipment does not undergo periodic review by the city or county once the building is complete. The pool area was given and occupancy permit by Aurora building services in December of 2018.
An independent building engineer told CBS Colorado, "There is no agency that will sweep in and get to the bottom of this."
Unlike transportation disasters, no public investigation is required. But the resort owners, Ryman Hospitality Properties, will review what happened. That, says the building engineer, will likely include contractors and design companies including subcontractors.
Lawyers will likely line up as well, as lawsuits over building failures are frequent. But with non-disclosure agreements being part of many settlements, it is possible the actual cause of the problem will never be made public.
