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Charlotte County hires forensic reviewer, presses contractor as South County pool repairs continue
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Summary
County staff and commissioners pressed contractor Allmiller Pools for progress and hired an independent forensic engineering firm to audit repairs at South County Regional Park pool. The county expects a preliminary audit within about two weeks and says work is continuing; contractor and county disagree about some timelines and oversight steps.
Charlotte County commissioners and county staff pressed the contractor repairing the South County Regional Park pool on June 10 and approved an independent audit of the work as contractors continue on-site repairs.
The county’s Community Services director, Tommy Scott, said the county engaged a third‑party reviewer — a forensic engineering firm from St. Louis — to assess the repaired pool, identify deficiencies, and confirm whether work meets industry and health‑code standards. Scott said the firm will give an initial, high‑level “bulletized” update within days of a site visit scheduled for June 16 and a full written report within about 14–30 days.
The county also confirmed the contractor, Allmiller Pools, remains on site and continues remedial work. BJ Allmiller, owner of Allmiller Pools, told commissioners several latent defects were uncovered during renovations (for example, step construction and a broken light niche) that required rebuilding rather than simple patching. He said some repairs — such as reconstructing steps and replacing a plastic light housing with a stainless‑steel niche — took additional time because the shell had to be reformed and poured.
Commissioners pressed for clarity on schedule and finances. Scott and purchasing staff said two original purchase orders cover resurfacing (listed in county records as $256,800) and tile removal/replacement (listed as $185,850). Senior purchasing manager Kim Corbett told the board no formal change orders had been submitted as of the June 10 meeting; county staff said the contractor had discussed deficiencies with on‑site county staff while repairs were underway.
Commissioners also asked whether the county would pursue temporary alternatives for swimmers while the pool remains closed. Scott said county staff are exploring shuttle options and noted some teams already travel to long‑course pools at Centennial: “That swim team that operates in the summer has always left Punta Gorda and driven to Centennial to do long course,” he said. The county said it will collect demand data from swim teams and community groups to evaluate whether temporary transit or a county shuttle is warranted.
Commissioners directed staff to continue monitoring work, provide weekly updates to the board, and bring back the engineer’s findings when available. No final reopening date was imposed by the board; staff relayed the contractor’s working estimate that some dry‑work items could take roughly 4–6 weeks, and Scott estimated an approximately 5–6 week window for completion of the major items discussed (a timetable the contractor disputed as dependent on the punch list and continued discoveries). Ending
The county’s immediate next steps are the on‑site review by the forensic engineer the week of June 16, receipt of an expedited bullet list from that reviewer, ongoing remediation by the contractor, and a written report from the reviewer within about two weeks of the site visit.
