THE POOL at 1601 May St. will get a close look for a possible replacement due to age and maintenance issues. The parks district holds a presentation about the pool’s future Monday.
Pipes are aging at the Hood River Aquatic Center. Parks District Director Mark Hickok gives a facility tour last fall.
The popular Hood River Aquatic Center has aged past its effective lifespan, and options have surfaced for how to give the tented structure new life.
The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District will host a presentation about the pool situation Monday, Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the aquatic center’s party room.
The topic: The “condition of the pool and possible options for upgrades or replacement of the facility.”
Studies indicate the pool has three to five years left before maintenance costs outstrip the price of replacing the facility.
The original aquatic complex was built in 1948. The tent enclosure and other infrastructure upgrades came during an overhaul in the 1990s. Many pool components, however, remain from construction — now more than 70 years old.
HRVPRD contracted with Water Technologies Inc., an aquatics engineering firm, and assessed the May Street pool and building. On a scale of 100, the facility scored roughly 45 (100 being perfect) in Water Technologies’ study. Failing piping valves and mechanical systems came up in the assessment.
“Some of these issues could cause immediate closure and costly repairs. With key pieces of infrastructure outdated and beginning to fail, and the effort and cost of maintaining the pool will soon exceed the cost replacement,” a HRVPRD newsletter notes.
The parks district formed a stakeholder group to help guide its board through the pool planning process. The group is teaming up with another firm, Opsis Architecture, looking at repair and replacement options for the facility.
Teaming up with Opsis, the committee and parks district have developed three options:
New building, same pools.
New building, new pools.
New building, pools, and community center.
Opsis Architecture’s feasibility study published in October noted various options ranging from basic fixes to an advanced recreational complex, costing between $1.8 million and $20.3 million.
Some possible funding pathways for the new structure will come up at Monday’s meeting. The parks district has considered asking the public for a facilities bond.
Parks District Director Mark Hickok explained, “We are still discussing costs as theoretical but have some estimates to share, and while we haven’t settled on a bond yet, (it) will most likely be the way we fund this.”
The district has also scheduled a public meeting Thursday, March 15, location to be determined. Visit www.hoodriverparksandrec.org/poolfeasibility for details.
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