December 6, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
The Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool is in need of a major overhaul before it opens in May and the city has committed up to $100,000 for the repairs and rehabilitation.
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Mayor and Aldermen heard from Tiera Nash of A Cut Above Outdoors, LLC in Cookeville who submitted a bid of $95,700 to do the work for the city after examining the pool.
City officials admit that the pool is a costly service to operate and maintain.
Although it has been repaired and renovated several times in its almost 50-year existence, Nash said the pool has deteriorated this time to the point that it should not be opened unless some further renovations are made.
“If you don’t do anything, it (pool) should not be opened,” said Nash. “Its old. From what I gather it was built in the 70’s but its in better shape than we expected for having been built in the 70’s”, she said.
Nash summarized for the mayor and aldermen the pool issues that need to be addressed.
“We walked the whole pool and brought our foreman who has been with us 22 years just to get another set of eyes because there is a lot of damage to the pool,” said Nash.
“Sixteen lights need to be changed. They are 220-volt lights that need to be changed to low voltage. That is one of the first things that needs to be done. All the big lights need to come out and the holes there are like a 12-inch hole so they will need to be removed and we will have to chisel into the frame of the gunite pool so we can fill in with new concrete product and plaster to make new sockets because the LED lights are only six inches. These lights would only be LED and if anything were to go wrong no one would be electrocuted. It’s just not possible. They would need new fittings, new connectors and new transformers and they would run off of a remote. You could have up to six different colored lights or just white,” Nash explained.
“Another issue is the tile,” said Nash. “In all public pools you have tile at the top of the pool which we call the bond beam and this pool in Smithville has a 12-inch piece on the top, the bond beam and up the side so there is two feet of tile that is falling apart and crumbling. The little grates that the water goes into to circulate the water in the pool, only half of them is connected. They are just falling apart. There is one corner especially where the shallow end goes into the kiddie pool and the whole corner has come off the pool. You can see right in the wall. That stuff needs to be fixed”.
“The steps that go into the kiddie pool are also in very bad shape,” said Nash. “There are cracks in the pool. In the corner, there are several cracks and some in the floor. Some cracks in the body need to be addressed as well as the removal of the caulking. When you are in the pool you see the tile meeting the concrete decking and there is almost one inch gap of caulking that goes all the way around and its hideous. It needs to be replaced”.
The aldermen unanimously voted to make all the repairs suggested by Nash in her bid proposal totaling $95,700 and to pay for it through a budget amendment. Two readings of such an ordinance would need to be approved before payment could be authorized.
The scope of the work to be done on the pool by A Cut Above Outdoors, LLC according to the bid proposal is as follows:
1. Remove and replace 16 pool lights. Install new low voltage pool lights with transformers. Install new wire, fittings and connectors. Price $25,985
2. Build new lights boxes inside the pool for new LED lights, includes concrete, rebar, bonding agent and plaster. Price $11,965
3. Demo old tile along water line and old thin set from pool, approximately 450 linear feet, haul away debris. Price $4,200
4. Apply new skim coat with bonding agent for new tile. Install new 1×1 tile with thin set and grout, approximately 450 linear feet around perimeter of pool. Price $25,750
5. Removal of all old caulking from joint between pool and concrete decking, clean out and apply new pool caulking around perimeter of pool. Price $1,585
6. Rebuild 2 steps (includes demo) concrete, rebar, new plaster, new tile. Price $9,735
7. Chisel and grind corner of pool walls and areas of the pool where large cracks are a problem. Includes concrete, bonding agent, mortar and plaster. Price $6,875
8. Concrete decking repair-demo and removal of 650 square feet of concrete decking. Price $3,250 includes saw cutting.
9. Replace with new concrete, rebar and concrete paint-650 square feet. Price $6,355
Nash added in her bid proposal that “This pool is very old and there could be hidden issues that we are unable to see until we remove damaged areas and start repairs. There could be some additional costs once we remove these areas and have a better visual. Parts of the pool where it is deteriorating may be soft up inside and require more removal and repair”.