Pool repairs should be completed just in time for summer swimming
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

Though the city is gritting its teeth at an expected $93,664 bill to repair the Community Swimming Pool, Parks and Recreation Director Gary Mysorski said the repairs are not out of line.

Mysorski talked to the city council at its Jan. 18 meeting about what it would take to fix the pool, which is suffering from the separation of the plaster from the exterior shell, among other problems.

The city's Recreational Development Corporation (RDC), which oversees the spending of a half-cent sales tax for recreational purposes, approved a change in its budget to allow the repairs to be made. The council also approved the budget change.

Mysorski said the surface of the pool's apron is peeling and cracks have developed around the skimmer throats, the areas where water is exchanged in the pool. The pool's drains at the bottom have also developed cracks, besides the separation of the plaster lining the pool itself from the concrete shell designed to support the structure.

"The good news - if there's good news about a $93,000 bill you didn't expect - is that the RDC is very good about saving money," said City Manager Michael Kovacs.

Kovacs said the corporation has about $250,000 in its fund reserves.

Mysorski's timeline for repairs would have work beginning in April, with the pool reopening in May in time for summer swimming.

Saying he wasn't criticizing the pool specifically, Councilman Mike Hall said, "It looked like in the original construction, there weren't some things done that should have been done."

Referring to the council's intent to embark on repairs and upgrades to parts of the city's infrastructure, Hall said, "As we start on projects, it's a good idea to have somebody who knows what he's doing to supervise the construction."

Having said that, Hall moved to approve the budget amendment. The council's vote was unanimous.