The City of Danville has decided to close the swimming pool at Garfield Park, leaving kids in Danville without a public place to cool off on hot summer days this year.
Public Works Director Carl Carpenter told city council members Tuesday night that the aging pool, which is more than 50 years old, has a large crack in the deeper end and that engineers have discovered a void behind it that needs to be addressed. He also says state inspectors have written the city up for cracks in the bricks in the pool’s gutter system, some of which are filled with wooden boards.
Carpenter says that Farnsworth Group provided the city with a proposal recently to install a new liner for the entire pool and replace the pool house. That project would cost $3.5 million and would provide the pool with another 15-20 years of use.
Engineers will soon be determining the extent of the large crack and how bad it is.
“It may have to have a brand-new pool, it may have to go somewhere else,” he explained. “So, until we find out what it is, how deep it is and whether or not it can be properly filled and safely filled…in order to do that, that section would be completely cut out and new concrete poured in that section.”
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. says that any repair or replacement project would take two years to complete. City Engineer Sam Cole explained to council members that continuing to repair the pool would cost $5.5 million over a 45-year time frame, while a total replacement now would, at minimum, cost $10 million.
The only other swimming pools in Danville are private. The Danville YMCA has an indoor pool inside its facility that is open year-round, and the Danville Country Club has an outdoor facility.
Mayor Williams says that there may be grants available to fund a repair project, or the city would have to dig into its reserve or possibly take out loans to fund a project. He notes that the pool is a key point for young families, and some might not move to Danville if a public pool isn’t available.
Carpenter says that the splash pad located to the north of the pool will remain open this summer.
