Pool will be drained (10/08/2008)

The Portland Pool will be empty this winter.

Members of a local board learned Tuesday that water will not be left in the pool after all.

City officials had hoped that leaving water in the pool during the off-season would prevent cracking of its concrete walls.

Doug Blankenbaker, assistant street and park department superintendent, told Portland Park Board members during a brief meeting on Tuesday that the water could not be left in the pool because it would flow into the pump and filter and freeze, which could cause damage. He said there is no shutoff valve between the pool and the filter and pump system.

Blankenbaker said he does not know if the pool ever had a shutoff valve.

The aging pool continues to leak. The board voted in December to seek bids to replace the pool's gutter system, with hopes of eventually installing a liner in the pool. Board members later rescinded their votes after learning that having city employees install the new system could result in additional costs if errors were made.

In a related matter, Blankenbaker announced that the pool had about $2,100 in profits this year.

Also Tuesday, board members learned that a storm water drainage tile recently was installed for baseball diamond at Weiler-Wilson Park.

Blankenbaker said the diamond frequently floods during heavy rainfall. New sand will be put on the field in the spring, he said.[[In-content Ad]]