Despite a recent major repair to Orono’s municipal pool, the town will likely need to shell out $150,000 if it wants to reopen the facility to families this summer.
The town closed its municipal pool for renovations last August because it was losing from 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water per day through rotted seams in the gutter.
A gutter replacement project estimated to cost $110,000 took place in August through early October, said Meghan Mazzella, Orono’s parks and recreation director. Municipal staff anticipated that the liner, which had been removed from the pool walls during the project, could be stretched back to its original shape, but that was not the case, she wrote in a memo to the Orono Town Council. She noted Friday that the liner had sustained damage during construction.
Mazzella has recommended that the town use a portion of its federal pandemic relief funds to buy and install a new pool liner, which is estimated to cost $150,000. Without the repairs, the pool cannot open, and families will be forced to visit facilities in nearby towns if they want to swim.
“The pool we currently have is designed to operate with a liner,” she said. “But this will be up to the council’s discretion.”
The Nickerson pool saw about 70 people per day in 2023, though the most it had was 168, Mazella said. The parks and recreation department sells about 60 season passes per year.
The pool’s shutdown in early August came about a month before the town normally closes for the season. The pool, which is more than 50 years old, is typically open to residents and non-residents seven days a week from mid-June to late August.
The gutter replacement project was an investment that the pool needed for the long term, Mazzella, who is taking over as the project manager, said last July. She noted that the town had been on a waitlist for about two years to get the leaking issue fixed.
If the council chooses to move forward with the more affordable one of two quotes, RenoSys Corp. of Indiana would fully remove the current liner and install a new one for $91,400. Membrane Concepts of New Bedford, New Hampshire, quoted the town $141,950 for the job.
Then municipal staff would complete surface work to the pool’s deck, which is estimated to cost $30,000 for materials and their time. Mazzella recommended that the town budget a 20 percent contingency for the project.
Orono has just more than $686,500 remaining in American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to the memo. The council is expected to discuss the project during a meeting Monday night.
