CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou’s community pool did not open this year after it lost approximately 1,500 gallons of water per day in the summer of 2013, and councilors have yet to decide if there’s a pool in the city’s future at all.
Superindent of the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department Kathy Mazzuchelli shed light on the pool’s current state during the city council meeting on July 14, and commended the Public Works Department’s director back in 1959, Charlie Huston, on creating the pool.
“Here we are in 2014 and it’s still there — maybe not as active,” she said. The last repairs to the pool were done back in 1993, but an overhaul is required should the city open the pool up again.
Caribou’s outdoor pool is unique for a couple reasons; it’s not a structured pool with walls all the way around — it has a slanted floor that starts at zero feet deep and ends at eight feet deep. The head wall of the pool is concrete, but the rest of it is made of a bituminous surface — the same stuff used to pave streets. The pool and its atypical design are “grandfathered” into the state’s standards for pools created after 1985, but too many changes to its structure through repairs could mean no longer being protected from stringent environmental and safety requirements.
Mazzuchelli explained that department officials looked into possible pool renovations, and Brock Commercial Pool Equipment provided an estimate to repair cracks, remove existing plumbing, install new plumbing, and line the pool with a PVC membrane system; the proposed repair estimated was submitted to the Maine DHS Health Engineering Division for review but, based on their experience, Brock gave the city a second estimate in anticipation of the State ruling that the drastic changes to the pool would revoke is grandfather-status.
“That estimate contained the original figures, plus installation of a complete circulation and filtration system for a combined total of $685,883,” Mazzuchelli told the council.
The city contracted Lane Construction back in 1993, the last time major repairs were required, and Mazzuccelli said her department reached out to the company once again for an estimate, which came back at about $66,100, not including painting the surface, which would cost another $5,000 – $7,000.
“I will say we did have a parks and rec commission meeting last week, and they understand that the pool is an important part of the local community, but they have considerable reservations regarding the investment of significant funding into a facility that’s only open 35 days,” Mazzuchelli explained to the council. “They thought it might be better used in developing a real reserve account to provide engineering for a future aquatic facility but basically, that’s just suggestive.”
“What we’ve compiled are estimates to provide you with information to help make a decision about the future of the outdoor pool at this time — and I can say safely that I can count on one hand the number of calls we’ve received about the pool not being open, and most of them were not irate, just inquiries as to why it’s not open,” she added.
An indoor swimming facility was included in the 2001-02 conceptual design of a recreational facility for the Caribou Wellness Center, but that was over a decade ago. To get plans in motion for an aquatic facility — something with splash pads, a lap pool, aquatic therapy pool — Mazzuchelli said that there’s significant funding available for a potential project, but only after the engineering is complete.
Councilor David Martin asked how long a project like that could take, and Mazzuchelli explained that it first involves an eclectic group of people attending the public hearing section of a council meeting to simply ask for engineering to begin the process.
“Once you have the engineering, there are some pretty significant monies out there available to be able to develop that facility — and don’t forget, the physical plan, the heating, electrical and water that was put into the original facility, was put in to sustain the other phases,” Mazzuchelli said.
The cost for that initial engineering could run $250,000 – $275,000, which raised a flag for Councilor Shane McDougall.
“To me it seems like a lot of money for something when you haven’t seen a whole lot of people complaining that there isn’t a pool,” he said, mentioning how the pool’s attendance had been down in recent years, “It just seems like a lot of money to sink into something that maybe could be used toward a better end-goal in five, eight or 10 years.”
The council did not take action on any measures for the city’s pool during their meeting.
