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Forest Hills board directs staff to pursue alternatives after experts flag Anderson High pool structural, cost concerns
Summary
After public pleas to save Anderson High School’s pool, the Forest Hills Local board agreed the site’s structural and mechanical problems make a cost‑effective renovation unlikely and tasked administration to propose alternatives and community partnership options.
Forest Hills Local board members voted unanimously to direct district administrators to develop alternatives for the Anderson High School pool space after several expert reports and public testimony raised structural, mechanical and cost concerns.
At public comment, Anderson alumna and parent Tara Longberger urged the board not to permanently fill the pool until a concrete replacement plan, funding commitments and a timeline are in place, calling the pool “an extension of [the district’s] educational mission.” Nonresident speaker Doug and longtime township taxpayer Bruce Berno also recounted personal and programmatic benefits of a school pool and questioned the district’s repair estimates; Berno cited a 2019 vendor estimate of "$59,362" for certain repairs and urged the board to consider academic uses such as PE and lifeguard certification.
Board members said they had reviewed reports from architects, aquatic specialists and geotechnical engineers that described cracks under the slab, outdated mechanical and plumbing systems, and likely additional unknowns that would emerge only after invasive investigation. Several board members said the combination of structural risk, ongoing operating costs and the district’s broader capital needs made a full renovation in the Anderson basement impractical.
“While we all value our aquatics program and I don’t want to see that go away, the numbers are insurmountable for this site,” one board member said during the deliberation. Another emphasized the district will continue to pursue a larger, long‑term aquatics solution in partnership with local government and community groups.
Rather than vote to close or fill the pool on the spot, the board reached consensus to task administration to: (1) develop concrete, costed recommendations for repurposing the Anderson pool space (including economical interim options), (2) continue and expand talks with the township and parks district about a community aquatic center or shared facility, (3) gather student, staff and community input, and (4) return with proposals to the board in August or September for further action.
The board emphasized this is not the end of district aquatics discussions: officials said Turpin High School’s facility has been refitted to accommodate Anderson, Turpin and Nagel teams in the interim, and that conversations about a districtwide or community pool continue. Administration acknowledged the board’s charge and said it would present a plan for community engagement and recommended uses early in the fall.
The board did not approve funding to renovate the Anderson facility at this meeting; no construction contract was issued. The district’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 4, when administrators are expected to report on the requested options and public engagement plan.
