County closes pool until roof is repaired

Voters likely will see a levy on the November ballot to pay for the project.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- Citing a "serious life safety hazard," school officials here have closed the community pool.
Superintendent James Herrholtz said the decision to close the facility, which is open to the public but overseen by the school district, was made after engineering reports showed the building's deteriorating condition could be a problem.
The Hubbard Community Pool, which opened in 1975, is in need of extensive work, including roof repairs, a new main pump and new dehumidifiers. In November, voters turned down a levy request from the schools that would have generated about $480,000 for the repairs and continued operations.
"After the levy, I made two promises," Herrholtz said. "One was to conduct a complete audit of the pool's books, and the other was to ensure that the structure was safe."
Herrholtz said structural engineers from Seidler Engineering inspected the facility, and determined the roof could be a problem, and that school officials should contact the Trumbull County Building Department for further review.
In a letter dated Dec. 17, the county's chief building official, Peter M. Marchese, wrote that "the building must not be occupied or used by the public until such time that the proper repairs are completed to the roof structure."
No money
Since the schools do not have the funds to make the repairs, Herrholtz said, the only option was to close the facility.
School board members had considered placing a new levy request before voters in the March primary, but were unable to meet the deadline for ballot issues, which was Thursday. The turnaround time between receiving the notice from the county and the election deadline was too short, Herrholtz said.
"There was no way we could have drafted a ballot issue that quickly," he said.
The soonest voters could see a new levy request would be August, if the schools decide to pay for a special election, which is not likely, Herrholtz added. Instead, it will probably be November, meaning the facility will have been closed for almost a year before new money could be approved.
In the meantime, the school is adjusting its schedule for varsity swim meets, using pools at local colleges for practices and meets, Herrholtz said. Contracts with other schools who rent the site have been terminated, and school officials are working on refunding memberships.
"Everyone will get their money back," Herrholtz said.