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Council weighs closing city pool after major leak; approves $117,000 engineering task order
Summary
City council members heard that a leak at the municipal pool is severe enough that staff cannot isolate the source, discussed closing the facility for repairs and approved a $117,000 engineering task order to move the pool rehabilitation toward bidding.
The Columbus City Council on Monday heard from the public works director that a leak at the municipal pool appears to originate at two valves in a manhole roughly 12 feet below the pool deck and that staff have been unable to isolate the source despite prolonged pumping and repair attempts. "It's the the 2 valves in the manhole, but 12 feet down," the public works director said, adding that water was "coming up the ground" and the pool could not be brought to normal fill levels.
Council members pressed for options to keep the pool open this season while weighing the cost of ongoing chemical treatment and lifeguard training against accelerating a full rehabilitation. One council member said he favored closing the pool and sending the project to bid as soon as possible: "My personal opinion is that we close it this year and get it rented as quickly as we can." The council discussed the effect on seasonal lifeguard hires and youth jobs if the pool remained closed, and asked staff to notify candidates promptly if there was a significant chance the pool would not open.
On a related motion the council approved Task Order 36 with Interstate Engineering for $117,000 to furnish engineering services for pool rehabilitation and to move the project into a bidding phase. The public works director told the council that, if needed, bids could be issued within about a month and that approving the task order would allow the technical work to proceed.
Council and staff members also discussed water-loss figures and operating costs; one member said the city lost "over half 1,000,000 gallons last year," and staff described difficulties maintaining target chlorination levels while large volumes of water were being lost. The public works director said staff would monitor overnight changes in pool level to better judge whether the pool can be kept open and recommended public notice steps and operational preparations while the council decides on a formal closure.
The council did not vote at the meeting to close the pool for the season. Instead, members approved the engineering task order and asked staff to return with updated measurements and next steps at the next meeting. The task order approval carried on a motion, second and roll call vote.
