Lawton municipal pool to remain closed

The joyful sound of children splashing in the pool won’t be heard at the Lawton municipal pool again this summer.

The pool, which opened for only a few hours on June 3, is permanently closed. The opening of the pool was delayed this year due to a pump failure, which was later fixed.

Then a new problem cropped up with murkiness in the water. The problem was traced to potential cracks in the piping on both sides of the filter pump, Mitchell Dooley, Parks and Recreation deputy director told the Lawton City Council on Tuesday.

Dooley said whenever the filter pump was turned on, clouds of dirt and sand were blown into the pool. He said several pool companies were contacted and and they all agree that the problem stems from a break in the return lines under the concrete.

On the suction side, the break is sucking air and causing the pump to lose prime, according to the council agenda item commentary. On the return side, the break is washing sand and dirt into the pool.

Dooley said if the problem persists, it could create a void under the 156,000-gallon pool. The agenda item commentary said the deep end of the pool already is lower than the rest of the pool.

“This could create cracks under the pool,” Dooley said. “The problem is getting worse. As soon as we turn the pump on, there is no filtration into the pool. We decided to close it until we can asses the problem.”

Dooley said a camera was run down the lines to help pinpoint the problem. The camera inspected 40 feet of lines and did not see any breaks, then the camera hit a bend and had to be retrieved.

Dooley said several pool experts have assessed the pool and the only recourse is to pressure test the lines, which may cause more breaks or weaken the pipes. Also, pressure testing is not cheap. One company quoted a cost of $35,000 to provide the service.

Due to the severity of the problem and the length of time to fix the pool, Dooley said the pool will not be able to open this summer.

Ward 8 Councilman Randy Warren questioned whether the city should attempt to open the pool or cut its losses.

“It has been at least three years (since the pool was open) and it is going to take another year to fix it,” he said. “Are we going to keep spending money … $40, $60 or $100,000 and still have an old pool?”

“At some point we have to decide whether to fill it in and preserve it for posterity or build another pool,” he said. “We need to come up with an aquatics plan.”

Christine James, Parks and Recreation director, said the city will have a new aquatics park open in Elmer Thomas Park in two to three years.

An aquatics park is part of the city parks master plan crafted by Halff and Associates. It proposes a lazy river and other features in Elmer Thomas Park near the spray park.

Ward 5 Councilman Allan Hampton said he is working with the State Historic Preservation Office to see if the pool qualifies as an historical artifact. If so, then grants might be available to fix the pool, which was built in 1967.

Dooley said the city is spending a lot of money maintaining the pool, but that the issue is fixable, especially if grants are available.