NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Nelsonville City Council, operating under the city charter in city hall, had two conversations about the pool this week, one during its regular meeting on Monday and another in a brief special town hall meeting held Tuesday.
In March, the city announced that the 25-year-old Nelsonville Aquatic Center would remain closed this season because of significant structural problems.
At Tuesday’s special meeting, the city shared engineers’ evaluations of the pool and discussed how to proceed. Although few members of the public attended, charter council President Cameron Peck said he and the council want to have an open conversation with residents about the pool.
Reports shared at the meeting included structural engineering reports from Betts Structural Engineering and Derwacter & Associates, as well as an inspection report from the Public Entities Pool of Ohio, a shared-risk insurer for municipalities around the state.
The July 9 report by Diana Woolf, senior risk services consultant for the Public Entities Pool of Ohio, listed several serious structural concerns, including large empty spots in the ground under the pool, the sinking foundation of the pump house, and the risk of pool collapse from water loss.
“Reviewing the condition of the pool is it not recommended to try to fix it,” Woolf wrote. “The pool foundation has washed away from the base of the pool and is no longer viable.”
The Public Entities Pool of Ohio will not insure the Nelsonville Aquatic Center unless the pool is completely rebuilt, Peck said on Tuesday.
Problems documented
A March 5 report by Betts Structural Engineering detailed problems it found with the pool, including “efflorescence, concrete delamination, spalling, cracking, water migration, voids, settlement, and failed repairs.”
Betts also reported that the pool design and drawings, originally made in 1999, were not signed and sealed by a professional engineer or professional architect. A geotechnical engineer and a geotech report were also never listed in the construction documents.
“A geotech report should have been provided for designing the pool structure and building foundations,” the report states. “A geotech should have been consulted to provide recommendations, especially in areas near flood zones, within historical areas of towns and cities, and for commercial projects due to their cost.”
In June, the council sought a second opinion on the pool from Derwacter & Associates — which returned similar findings to the Betts report.
“A final determination regarding repair feasibility or continued use of the pool should not be made until additional investigation is completed,” the report states.
This week, the charter council agreed to move forward with a geotechnical survey of the Nelsonville Aquatic Center. However, city manager Danette Miller said on Tuesday that the geotechnical engineers will not be available to begin a survey for at least three months.
Members of the public interested in reading the reports can contact Miller at 740-753-1314 or stop by city hall.
Nelsonville’s charter council meets at 7 p.m. every other Monday of each month at Nelsonville City Hall, 211 Lake Hope Dr., Nelsonville.
