History

You might remember that the pool was closed back in 2019 for repairs and a full renovation was completed in 2020. This was a nearly $300k project approved by the town council. This included renovation of the main pool, installation of beach style entry and consolidation of "kiddie pool" into the main pool, ADA compliant steps, swim lanes, special-needs lift and installation of new water features and chlorination system.

COVID hit the pool hard and like most businesses, the first years back weren’t as successful as hoped and didn't bring in enough revenue. Additionally, the Town Council was informed there was a pool leak, and coordinated with the original contractor to come back several times to determine the cause and complete additional repairs.

Due to concerns of where the volume of water was going, they also completed a geographic ground penetrating radar review with an engineering firm. This study determined the pool was still safe. The volume of water leaking is substantial, but is hard to accurately calculate due to not having a dedicated water meter for just the pool. The water loss calculated is based on models used from average water usage at different times of the year for the entire Grand Caverns park.

February 2023 - Town council voted to close and demolish the pool due to prioritizing the town budget for other infrastructure items and not wanting to continue to invest in the pool. Due to public outcry and people speaking out to council, they voted to rescind the decision to demolish the pool and let us form a citizens committee that is now the Grottoes Pool Preservation Foundation. If planning to open for the 2025 season, we need to have as many donations as we can by Winter 2024 to get on the contractors schedule. 

Due to the standard maintenance not being completed and water leaking from the pool, it caused additional damage. At this point we are gathering quotes from various vendors to look at the expansion joint leak repair, remediation of any small voids below the expansion joint, and partial re-plastering costs.