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University Heights approves $115,500 in emergency pool repairs and affirms lap swim access at Heights High Pool
Summary
Council approved $73,000 for two new boilers and $42,500 for replacement sand filter tanks after equipment failures closed the pool; the city also confirmed lap swim access at Heights High Pool and budgeted initial operating funds.
Vice Mayor Michele Weiss and Council on Nov. 3 approved emergency purchases to repair equipment at Heights High Pool after a season-ending boiler failure and a ruptured sand filter tank.
Service Director Allen Pennington said the pool’s 30-year-old boiler failed late in the 2025 season and replacement parts were no longer available. He described two replacement options and reported the council’s preferred choice: "the second and more favorable option was a replacement of the boiler with two smaller boilers at a cost of $73,000 plus installation. This option would allow for a single boiler to remain in service if the other boiler required maintenance." Council approved the $73,000 purchase on roll call.
Pennington also described a ruptured sand filter tank that briefly closed the pool when the failure sprayed water onto the main breaker panel. The city identified replacement tanks from the original manufacturer, Miami Filter, at a cost of $42,500 (installation costs to be budgeted separately). Council approved that purchase.
Pennington gave a conservative lead-time estimate for the boiler equipment of approximately 12 weeks ("it could be 8 to 12 weeks"), and said installation timing would follow removal of the old equipment and a separate installation quote to be presented after the new parts arrive. He said two boilers give redundancy for both start-of-season warm-up and midseason operation.
Mayor Micheal Dylan Brennan noted the Heights High Pool is open for limited lap swim hours, with the city budgeting $25,000 to support initial operating expenses: "Beginning this morning and continuing through May 22, 2026, the Heights High Pool is open from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday for a lap swim." Council members discussed how installation and related work would be reflected in the 2026 budget and asked the finance director to include the installation costs in year-end appropriations if needed.
The votes: the boiler purchase (motion passed on roll call), the sand filter purchase (motion passed on roll call). Pennington said staff will return with installation quotes and cost estimates for plumbing and removal work after vendor responses are received.
The approval keeps the pool on track for equipment replacement ahead of the 2026 season and preserves resident lap swim access in the near term.
