Parks director: City approves $100,000 to speed pool repairs; plumbing parts, liner work remain

The Grover Parks and Recreation director, Samantha, told the commission on March 31 that the city council approved a $100,000 budget amendment to help cover repairs at the municipal pool and that on‑site plumbing repairs are underway.

Samantha said contractor Peterson’s removed damaged sumps and replaced the flanges that had repeatedly failed, but crews found the main drain plumbing bent during reinstallation. Staff cut the old main drain, set the new sumps and ordered replacement plumbing; the final parts did not arrive as scheduled and were reordered, with staff hoping to receive them later in the week for pressure testing and completion.

Until Renosys can be scheduled to complete the liner repairs, Samantha said staff plans to add roughly 10,000–15,000 gallons of water to hold the liner in place so the company can perform its work when the city side of the prep is finished. She said Renosys provided sealing materials and instructions for finishing the liner work once the plumbing is confirmed sound.

The repair effort will be informed by the ongoing parks master plan. Samantha said the city has approval to begin phase two of the master plan and has an initial meeting scheduled with Corvus Design; she expects the expense for the pool‑specific scope to be in the range of about $35,000 but said exact scope and cost will be clearer after the consultant meeting.

Samantha also reported two recent inspections: an ACOS pre‑OSHA readiness inspection that produced mainly minor abatements (including required railings around the empty pool) and a health inspection focused on chemical handling and respiratory‑protection fit testing. The needed railings were ordered and installed to meet the abatement, she said.

On funding, Samantha said staff is pursuing grants and local match opportunities. She reported the parks office is roughly halfway to meeting a match from the Cordova Community Foundation and estimated about $10,000 remains to complete that match for a cabin/skate project; she also described an initial Tier 1 grant submission and follow‑up meetings with potential partners.

Commissioners asked for regular, brief public updates and Samantha agreed to post concise status notes after major milestones or council meetings to reduce repeated resident inquiries. She urged residents who want to help with small repairs or donations to coordinate with Parks staff and not undertake unsolicited changes to city facilities.

Samantha said staff plans to extend evening hours one night per week beginning in April and to explore limited weekend openings when staffing permits, while noting budget cuts have constrained regular hours and staffing levels.

Samantha closed by urging patience as repairs continue and by promising to bring clearer cost and timeline details to the commission after the consultant meeting.