PORT ANGELES — It may not be in the springtime of its life, but the William Shore Memorial Pool can last decades more with a bit of investment, the facility’s caretakers were told Tuesday.
“The pool has a lot of life in it,” consultant Don Carey told the William Shore Memorial Pool District commissioners.
The district hired Carey of Auburn for $3,900 to audit the structural integrity of the 49-year-old facility.
His 15-page report concluded that the pool, at risk of closing two years ago, is structurally sound but that a handful of improvements do need to be made.
“Is it worth investing? I’m telling you, yes, it is,” Carey told the commissioners.
The report cites one “deficiency” — corrosion in the utility tunnel underneath the pool.
The other major items noted by the consultant include resurfacing the pool and replacing or upgrading the air conditioning system, pipes and overflow gutter.
The report estimates it would cost $787,303 before taxes to make those improvements, among a few other more minor repairs, and would extend the life of the pool by between 30 and 40 years.
With nothing done, the pool would have between five and 10 more years of life left, Carey said after speaking with the commission.
The right thing
Pool commission Chairwoman Cherie Kidd said the possibility of keeping the pool around for another four decades shows that it was worth saving.
“We did the right thing by forming a pool district,” she said after the meeting. “And we’re going to bring it up to higher standards.”
Pool Executive Director Steve Burke said the report, along with an “energy efficiency audit” and soon-to-be-issued user survey, will be used to determine what improvements will be made at the pool.
A study looking at what can be done to improve the use of energy at the pool will be done next month, he said.
Asked how much the district could be looking to invest, Burke said it’s comparable to the $1.5 million to $2 million in potential improvements cited in a city of Port Angeles pool study from 1999.
He said he hopes to have a capital improvement plan done by the end of the year.
“We will be spending just the resources we have been given,” Burke said, adding that an increase in the district’s property tax levy won’t be considered.
“We feel we have been given a sufficient amount of money.”
He said the district will pursue grants.
The district has owned the pool since June 2009. Voters approved its formation earlier that year to keep the facility open.
The city of Port Angeles, the original owner, said it could no longer afford to run it.
The commission is made up of two City Council members — Kidd and Pat Downie — two Clallam County commissioners — Mike Chapman and Mike Doherty — and Port Angeles resident Gary Holmquist.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
