Municipal Pool Building Problems Continue

Fairhope, Alabama 

 

Fairhope municipal pool.


Pool building.

 

METAL BUILDING CORRODING

The city council authorized $120K for contracting with Watermark Design for Architectural/Engineering services to rehabilitate the municipal pool building in Volanta Park.

An preliminary assessment of the building has been completed and this will be considered phase two of the three phase project involving necessary structural and mechanical repairs, according to city engineer Richard Johnson. 

The building's inadequate ventilation system is being blamed for the persistent problems. (Similar problems were repaired in 2018. See photo below.)

Johnson: "The goal being ... to lead to a construction project to address critical issues ... structural repairs (metal corrosion), get the building envelope sealed (doors, windows, roof), and mechanical systems fixed ... to re-establish the original ventilation system (which is no longer working)."

"Biggest problem ... ambient air is corrosive ... high humidity/chlorine."

Cost for the repairs themselves is estimated at around $800K. 

AIR CONDITIONING NEEDED NEXT?

Johnson: "... we are going to get air circulating back in the building, the envelope taken care of (sealed), structure taken care of ... but that does not eliminate the corrosive environment that is causing the degradation of the structure ... ultimately ... will have to get the condition of the air controlled."


 
2018 repairs.

2018 repairs.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Maybe the building shold not be made of metal?
Anonymous said…
Patch it up again
Anonymous said…
The city would be wise to invest their money into developing a NEW and larger pool that can be used for hosting regional and national meets. They should be looking further into the future of an increasingly growing population in Baldwin county and the increased needs of the community.
Anonymous said…
Nothing like delayed maintenance to waste money on
Anonymous said…
I strongly disagree that the pool should be used to 'host events'. The City taxpayers pay for the pool and its maintenance; it should be available exclusively to the tax paying community as it was intended.
Anonymous said…
Umm...events inject significant revenue to the local economy through sales tax, lodging taxes, etc. Visitors shop at our stores and eat at our restaurants, which provide jobs for locals. Indeed, fees paid to the city for use of the facility subsidizes the pool's operating budget, thus lowering our tax burden on us. So, we might wish to look past the ends of our noses on this one.
Anonymous said…
While true that events feed bottom line. A new pool and structure would have a LARGE bottom line. Maybe in about 100 years it would pay for itself. Having been at events as such we do our meet and onward. So the money tree theory is weak. Much to say about small town privacy as to large crowd events. You want that Mobile is a bridge away.
Anonymous said…
I don't see any reference to a "money tree" in that post's argument for increasing revenue through hosting events. I do, however, see an implicit money tree argument in the theory that local taxpayers represent an endless resource for funding projects that have, as you write, "a LARGE bottom line."
Anonymous said…
To repair is basic maint cost like your new roof every 20 yrs. To tear down and replace w / olympic size pool and structure is a large tab. Events pay a token fee and the so called trickle down money tree from hotels etc. is a lot of air. So Fairhope residents stuck with large bill instead of maint cost. Unless your going to add a Dunkin donut shop to the structure then I am all in on the shake of the money tree :)