Jump In!

March 1, 2012

As a result of the dedicated efforts of community members and town staff, and with the support of the Town Council, the monumental effort to raise funds to open the pool for the 2011 season in Clarkdale resulted in a 3 days per week swim season last summer. The pool had been closed in 2009 and 2010 due to the impact of the nation’s unprecedented recession on the Town’s budget.

Unfortunately, after the 2011 pool season wrapped up, a number of significant issues with the pool’s infrastructure were identified as needing repair or complete replacement. The following are the issues that must be addressed:

The gutter/skimmer system on the pool has reached its 20-year life and what had been a small leak in that system has developed into a leak of such significance that it cannot be allowed to continue. After careful monitoring of water loss while the pool was open last summer, and continued monitoring through the fall and winter, we have determined that we lose approximately 6,500 gallons of water per day when the pool pump system is in operation. The gutter/skimmer system has to be functional in order for the Town to operate a pool for use by the public. We’ve developed a method to bypass the gutter/skimmer (thereby eliminating the continuing leaks), but that only serves to temporarily avoid the leak issue, and will not make the pool functional until the gutter/skimmer system is replaced.
The pool’s plaster shell is beyond its useful life. Large pieces are flaking off in the pool which causes maintenance and safety hazards. The pool needs to be completely replastered.
Various other pool equipment has failed or is about to fail. The pump of the Kiddie Pool failed and the Sand Filter on the main pool is failing. The pump on the main pool is over 30 years old and inefficient. Replacement of that pump could save up to 60% on the energy costs to operate the pool.
There are new federal regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that begin on 3/12/12. Neither the main pool nor the kiddie pool currently meet the new requirements. Both will need to be retrofitted in order to provide appropriate access to persons with disabilities. In addition, the pool’s current restroom and shower facilities in the Clark Memorial Clubhouse are not accessible to people with disabilities and cannot be easily retrofitted. With this in mind, and because health regulations require that all patrons must rinse off before entering the pool, the construction of accessible restroom and shower facilities outside of the Clark Memorial Clubhouse and in close proximity to the pool will be required.

The Clarkdale Pool Committee met in November, 2011 to review the status of the pool for 2012. After lengthy discussion and brainstorming, the Pool Committee’s recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Town Council was that, although they are confident in their ability to raise enough funds to operate the pool in 2012, they do not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to make the capital repairs that are required to open the pool back up to the public for the 2012 pool season.

Both the Pool Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission have expressed support for the Town to conduct further investigation into whether it is practical to make repairs to the existing pool’s infrastructure; or whether a complete demolition and replacement would be more cost effective and efficient. The Town staff is soliciting proposals from multiple sources in order to explore the costs of both those alternatives, and expects to have cost estimates by April 30, 2012.

Due to the significance of the capital costs associated with all alternatives, once those alternatives and their corresponding cost estimates are in hand, a multi-year funding strategy will need to be considered if the pool is to be re-opened. The Town Staff plans to hold meetings with the Pool Committee, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Town Council through the spring and summer in order to determine the next course of action relating to operation of the pool. The pool will remain closed until the issues identified above have been appropriately addressed.