New filter tanks for pool on way, to be put in soon

The replacement project will cost about $77,000.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two new tanks needed for the city's only public pool to operate should be delivered no later than Monday, with the facility opening soon, according to the park and recreation director.
Director Joseph R. McRae said he can't definitively say when Borts Pool, closed since July 15, will reopen, except that it will be "soon." It all depends on when the tanks are delivered, he said.
It takes about five days to install the tanks.
Borts closed when one of three filtration tanks that pumps chlorine into the pool developed a 6-inch hole, making it inoperable. Another tank has been broken for some time, and the one remaining tank couldn't properly do the job by itself, McRae said.
City council authorized the board of control last week to do what is necessary to reopen the pool as soon as possible.
The city is paying about $77,000 to Prout Boiler Heating & amp; Welding Inc. of Youngstown for the work needed to replace the three old tanks with two new ones.
The three old tanks are now being removed from Borts, on Belle Vista Avenue on the city's West Side.
The public pool opened for the season June 16 and closed a month later during the hottest period of the summer so far.
Estimates before season
At Thursday's park and recreation commission meeting, members and McRae took offense at those who said they had done a poor job of planning this summer's pool schedule.
Earlier this year, the city demolished the North Pool, off Belmont Avenue, because an inspection showed it was losing a lot of water. It was the only other public pool in Youngstown.
That pool is undergoing a $1.05 million improvement project and was originally scheduled to open in time for this year's pool season. But changes in the project's scope and cost led to delays, and the work won't be finished any earlier than October.
An inspection conducted by Whitmer Co. of Cleveland, the city's pool consultant, right before Borts opened last month showed that despite being down one tank, the pool's equipment was in good shape, McRae said.
"When we went to Borts, we were told there was a problem with one tank, but it was OK to use two tanks," he said. "Borts showed no signs of problems.
When Borts reopens, the city will probably extend the pool season by two weeks, McRae said. The pool typically closes in late August.
The city once had six public pools.
skolnick@vindy.com