More problems for Plains pool

It doesn’t look good for the E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool in Plains, but Mayor Dan Rowan is determined to keep it going. Despite the latest bad news, he believes he can get another four or five years out of the 43-year-old pool before having to shell out the big-bucks estimate that he got last week from a professional pool builder.

Work on the pool was already in process and it looked like it was going to be opening the first week of June as planned, but after Double C Construction of Missoula and the Plains Public Work Department staff took out the old cement, they found a bigger problem, this time with the steel apron.

“Once the decking was removed and we dug down to the pea gravel we found that the structural support behind the stainless steel apron has been compromised by rust,” said Rowan, which might have added to the substantial leaks of last year. Gordon Burns, owner of Superior Shotcrete Services, Inc., of Missoula, last week said that a rough estimate to fix the pool would be between $380,000 to $420,000. Rowan said the pool would be six inches shallower, but it would be like having a “brand new pool.”

The mayor said the town doesn’t have the funds to go that route, but he believes they have enough money, thanks to the fundraising of the Committee for Safe Swimming, to complete a “band aid fix,” which would be around $50,000, and still get the pool open this year.

Rowan thinks the temporary fix might give the pool another four or five years. Meanwhile, he plans to look into possible grants, fundraisers and low interest loans for a more permanent solution. Though it’s only open two or three months out the year, Rowan said the pool is an important asset to the community and to the Plains swim team.

The latest pool difficulties also caused problems for the swim team, who train there each summer. Because the pool repairs were going to be delayed, Dan Helterline, president of the Plains Piranhas, had to make other arrangements for the team to practice. The team normally attends eight meets throughout the summer, including one that is hosted in Plains. Because the pool repair completion time frame was sketchy, he had to cancel the Plains meet.

Helterline said there was a rumor that the team had folded, but he said the team has not disbanded. There are 14 swimmers from ages 10-17 on the team and the Piranhas will be competing this year, starting in Hamilton on the weekend of June 15-16, followed by Choteau the next weekend.

The Plains meet normally draws around 200 swimmers and perhaps over 500 people from outside Sanders County, which benefits the community’s economy, said Helterline, but he said he couldn’t take a chance that the pool was going to be fixed by the scheduled meet time, which was July 6-7. “This is an unfortunate situation for the team and the town. The annual swim meet brings in a lot of business to the community and is very well attended and enjoyed by many teams,” Helterline said.

The Plains Piranhas also had candidates for the coaching position this year. To solve both problems, Helterline went to Polson, which agreed to provide its Mission Valley Aquatics Center pool for training and a coach. Shayna Swenson, coach for the year round Polson Lake Monsters, agreed to also train the Piranhas. “She is a very qualified and accomplished coach and we are very excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Helterline. Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort offered free use of one of its pools for the team as a support to the community. Helterline said they are likely to train at Quinn’s on the mornings they don’t travel to Polson.

Rowan still hopes to have the pool patched and ready for the community some time in June. The tab for the repair now will be an estimated $50,000. The Community for Safe Swimming raised just over that amount.

Plans continue to call for Traver’s Excavators Service, Inc., of Thompson Falls to install the some 300 feet of pipes and for Mark Foster Construction of Alberton to do the repaving job. Ryan Spiekermeier of Plains has been hired to fabricate and install a new steel support structure at a cost of $15,500, said Rowan.

The mayor said they still have not hired lifeguards yet, but have applications. Municipal pools aren’t a profit maker, said Rowan, but he said the community benefits from having a pool. A group of Plains residents have been discussing the possibility of an indoor pool, which would not only be open all year, but would offer other activities. For now, the mayor wants to get the present pool up and running, even for the short term. “It’s not a long term fix. It’s basically a stop gap measure, but we need this pool,” said Rowan.