Westborough committee recommends chlorinated system as town prepares $406,000 pool repairs

The Town of Westborough’s Municipal Building Committee reviewed plans to repair and relaunch the community-center pool and expressed a nonbinding preference for a conventional chlorinated system ahead of the town meeting vote.

Recreation Director Jen Kirkland told the committee the town will present a warrant article asking for $406,000 to repair the pool; the full article on the warrant is listed at $517,000 because it also includes a separate pool pack (ventilation) item. Kirkland described planned work that will occur regardless of chlorination choice: removal and replacement of the existing PVC pool liner, repairs to corroded fittings and ladders, pressure testing of pool piping, replacement of pool equipment, a bonding test after liner removal, and reconfiguration of the filtration room to improve operations.

Tom, a design-team consultant from BH+A, explained technical differences between saltwater chlorination and conventional chlorinators. He said saltwater systems generate chlorine on site from added salt and can feel milder to users but have different maintenance profiles. Multicell saltwater generators may require cell replacement beginning at about two years, while single large units have been observed to last roughly seven years; Tom estimated commercial-grade salt-system equipment for this pool would likely be in the $15,000–$20,000 range for initial setup. He also said the existing commercial PVC liner is appropriate for saltwater and that liner replacement has been budgeted at about $75,000 for this project.

Kirkland said the town plans to contract day-to-day pool operations to a vendor responsible for maintenance and programming (swim lessons, water aerobics) and that an operator would pay the town a lease or rent. She provided preliminary revenue estimates of about $36,000 annually from an operator and an additional roughly $30,000 set aside for maintenance; she described those figures as early estimates.

Committee members raised questions about operational complexity, corrosion and deck-surface effects from salt, CO2 usage for pH control, heater compatibility and long-term replacement costs. Tom said a well-run saltwater system can reduce airborne chloramine odors and improve natatorium air quality but warned that salt requires attention to equipment compatibility and surface cleaning to avoid salt deposits. The design team included both saltwater and chlorinated specifications as bid alternates so the town can compare installation costs when bids are returned.

After discussion, an unnamed committee member moved a recommendation in favor of the chlorinated option; the motion was seconded and the committee voted, with five members present voting in favor. Committee members characterized the vote as a nonbinding preference to guide staff and the Recreation Department ahead of final bidding and town-meeting decisions.

The committee was told bids are expected back Mar. 17; members scheduled a follow-up meeting for Mar. 20 at 8 a.m. to review bids and finalize the committee’s recommendation before Town Meeting. Kirkland agreed to circulate memos, the RFP and cost-estimate breakdowns to committee members for review.

The committee’s next procedural step is to review competitive bids and decide whether the budgeted $406,000 and the selected technical approach (chlorine vs. salt) provide the best balance of upfront cost, lifecycle replacement costs and operational risk.