Park pool to reopen Saturday in time for holiday weekend
Washington Park pool will reopen Saturday, provided the weather cooperates.
“We are ready to go then,” park foreman Chris Marshman said Thursday. “Saturday has been our goal the whole time.”
Fourth of July weekend, a big splash at pools nationwide, has been saved at the city park. The Olympic-sized pool and baby pool were inundated with muddy water Friday following torrential storms. Marshman blamed runoff from a nearby access road and a faulty drainage pipe for the mess. The pools were drained, beginning the next day, and cleanup started Monday.
Work crews had to replace 500,000 gallons of water and mix in treatment chemicals before the pools could reopen. “We’re almost topped off with the water,” Marshman said Thursday morning, as he was driving to the park with the last of the chemicals, which were added shortly thereafter.
Because work was going well, he said there was a late push to reopen Friday because of a promising forecast. But that prospect was abandoned.
Mother Nature is now Marshman’s main concern for Saturday. “It’s how much it’s supposed to rain,” he said. “Thunderstorms are forecast, but it’s hard to tell two days in advance.”
This isn’t the first muddy mess the foreman has encountered – just the most profound. “We’ve had a few mud issues, but not where we had to shut down both pools. I’ve just never had to deal with it on this scale.”
The unfortunate set of circumstances will cost the city an estimated $6,000 to $7,000, Washington Councilman Joe Manning said. He said it takes about $4,000 to $5,000 for water to refill the pools and $2,000 for the chemicals.
Manning said a representative from the city’s insurance carrier indicated that the cost to clean and refill the pools is not covered. “It is an unexpected expense we incurred,” he said. “We’ll take a look at the budget. (The money) may have to come from the general fund reserve.”
The councilman praised work crews for doing their jobs swimmingly, and the lifeguards who kept their work hours by assisting with smaller cleanups, painting and doing other jobs that had been put off.
“I’m very proud to have those guys working for us, who have gotten this done in quick order,” Manning said. “They’ve been outstanding.”