Delays putting a damper on North Pool's opening

The North Pool project could be finished, at best, in five months.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- It's going to be a long, hot and unfortunately dry summer for kids who planned to enjoy swimming at the proposed new and improved North Pool.
In a best-case scenario, the pool project will be finished five months from now, said John Evan, the pool's project engineer and vice president of ES & amp;C International, a Youngstown company.
"It's not going to be done this summer," he said. "We're trying to accelerate the schedule, but it won't be ready for summer. Kids in Youngstown will have a place to swim next summer that will be significantly better than what they had before."
City officials had expected to have the new pool ready for this summer.
What caused delays
But changes in the project's scope and determining its cost led to delays. Also, requests for proposals to build the pool project aren't ready.
Work at the pool location on the city's North Side began a few months ago.
The roof at the pool bathhouse was replaced for $81,000, and the old pool was removed for $66,900. After the old pool was taken out, the city filled the hole with dirt so no one could get hurt.
The price for the overall improvement project was pegged at $1.9 million. But that was reduced because of financial concerns, said Joseph R. McRae, the city's park and recreation director.
The updated cost projection is about $1.05 million, with the bathhouse roof replacement and old pool demolition work included in the figure, McRae said.
Even with a scaled-down project, the new facility will have many amenities, McRae said.
Features
The old pool could hold 300 to 400 people. The new one will be 5,000 square feet and about 600 people can use it at once, McRae said.
Unlike the old pool, the new one will be heated, he said.
There will also be splash pads that shoots streams of water, a diving area, a 9,600-square-foot deck, mechanical and electrical upgrades and renovations to the restrooms, McRae said.
The old pool had to be demolished because an inspection late last year by ES & amp;C showed a major loss of water from it. Wet spots on properties near the pool indicated soil saturation that could damage nearby areas.
The North Pool opened in 1939, and for a number of years it was among six public pools in the city.
Today, there are two city pools. The other, Borts Pool, is on the West Side on Belle Vista Avenue.
Because the North Pool won't be ready this summer, the city will probably extend hours at Borts Pool, McRae said.
Borts will open June 16 and the city typically closes its pool season in late August, he said.
The admission to city pools is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children.
skolnick@vindy.com