Keller ISD trustees debate $357,000 natatorium filter replacement after trustee cites cheaper repair option

Trustees at the June 24 Keller ISD board meeting debated whether to proceed with a proposed $357,000 purchase to replace six natatorium filters or to delay and pursue a lower-cost repair path suggested by a trustee.

Tate Floyd, a senior swimmer representing Lakeside Aquatics Club, urged the board to fund repairs so the Keller natatorium could reopen by the end of summer, warning that a prolonged closure could end the local swim club’s operations. “Please fix the filters now so we can be back in the Keller natatorium by the end of summer,” Floyd told the board during public comment.

Trustee Coker told the board he had contacted the manufacturer and received preliminary information that replacement internal parts for all six filters could cost about $60,000–$80,000, with a broader labor estimate of $120,000–$150,000 all in, and that parts might be on hand allowing service in as little as 30 days. “If we can save a lot of money and get them in the water faster, I believe that’s the route we should go,” Trustee Coker said, urging the board to pull the item for further due diligence.

District staff, supported by an engineering firm engaged for an MEP assessment, recommended full replacement of the filter system. Staff and consultants told trustees the filtration and accompanying pumps and air-handling systems are about 25 years old, that prior patchwork repairs have left the system vulnerable, and that sand infiltration may have damaged pumps, circuit boards and other components. Staff said replacement would provide a longer-term, more reliable solution and suggested that new equipment would process more gallons per minute and improve water quality and energy efficiency.

Board members pressed both sides for specifics. Trustees asked whether the manufacturer’s estimate was confirmed by on-site inspection; Trustee Coker said he had provided part numbers and photos and expected a formal quote only after a hands-on evaluation. Other trustees and staff said they had contracted RWB engineering and pool vendors who recommended replacement as the long-term solution and cautioned that delaying could push the reopening later into the year, complicate swim-club schedules and create rental and transportation costs to secure pool time elsewhere.

After discussion, the board voted 5–1 to remove the natatorium filter line from the purchases list so staff could pursue additional information about the repair-vs.-replace options and return with more documentation. The district then proceeded to approve the remainder of the purchases as presented.

What happens next: Staff said that a formal quote from the manufacturer and a full cost/feasibility analysis would be gathered; if trustees or staff later recommend replacement, the timeline discussed by staff had aimed for an August 1 target to reopen if replacement was approved and executed quickly, but staff warned that delays could push reopening into September or later and increase costs for clubs and school teams.