Parents, athletes press Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con over unfinished school pool; board apologizes, looks for fixes

Parents, coaches and student-athletes told the Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con board that the district's new school pool remains unfinished months after it was expected to open, leaving competitive teams without access and equipment sitting unused.

At a public meeting, a community member described the contract as lacking penalties or accountability for subcontractors and said the oversight had become ‘‘a massive oversight’’ that had forced families into considering legal action: "It's gone too far," the commenter said.

A student-athlete said the district had originally told teams the pool would be ready "within the first two weeks of cross country season," but that the season had ended and the team still could not use the facility. "As a recruit, it's really, really hard to pick a school where they don't have a pool on campus," the student-athlete said, adding that the lack of a pool hurt recruiting and team numbers.

Another attendee compared the situation to a high-school remodel in which the school replaced a contractor who failed to meet obligations and completed the work. Coaches and parents said the delay has blocked access to equipment and a $38,000 timing system and scoreboard the district purchased for meets.

A board member apologized to families for the delay, acknowledged lapses in oversight and urged the district to "learn from this mistake," saying the board shares the frustration and wants the pool operational as soon as possible.

During the meeting, participants discussed short-term technical options to speed reopening, including bringing in tanker trucks to fill the basin quickly. Speakers warned that filling the pool would not by itself ensure readiness, citing concerns about impurities, chemical-tank availability and the multi-day processing needed before water can be used safely. One participant summarized the timeline uncertainty by noting that some steps could take seven to eight days even after filling.

Several people raised questions about the project contract and whether the district could pursue legal remedies against subcontractors. Board members said the official contract is kept at the central office and that community members could file a public-records request to obtain it. The board also said it was exploring operational fixes, including installing sump pumps and beginning water fill as soon as parts arrive.

Speakers named contractor staff involved on site (Justin, Seth and Kevin) and said uneven staffing and other jobs on the contractor's schedule appeared to have slowed progress. Community members urged the board to press the contractor for faster completion and to provide clearer timelines to affected programs.

The board proposed a next meeting date of Dec. 16 and called for a motion to confirm it; the transcript records the call for a motion and the question "All in favor?" but does not record the motion text, the mover/second or the vote outcome.

The board and community members did not reach a final resolution on legal action during the meeting; board leaders said they would discuss options after operational steps are taken and after reviewing the contract.

Next steps: board members said they hoped to have sump pumps installed and begin filling the pool imminently, and community members said they would pursue a public-records request for the construction contract.