Plains pool projects continue

The E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool is one step closer to being up and ready for the seasonal opening now that the pool's entire plumbing system was replaced last week and pressure tested on Tuesday by Master Plumber Tye Thompson, who replaced 560 feet of pipe around the pool.

Thompson, who is also a master electrician, is the owner of Christner Electric of Trout Creek. Three other plumbers showed interest in bidding for the project, but all backed out before starting work, which was supposed to be done last autumn. Thompson, who got the job for $2,400, was the lone bidder this year and was paid only for his labor. The town itself had purchased the materials for $3,861.98 and saved an additional estimated $2,400 by utilizing Public Works Department staff members to help Thompson do some of the labor, according to Rowan, who plans for the pool to open the first week of June for the general public and for the Plains Piranhas Swim Team to train. However, he said the opening will be determined by the Coronavirus plight.

The pool developed a major leak at the end of the 2018 season, but when workers from Double C Construction of Missoula removed the concrete and dirt last spring, they discovered that the structural support had been compromised with extensive rust. The problem was severe enough to shut down the pool for the year. 

The closure prompted the Plains swim team to split their training between Polson and Quinn's Hot Springs Resort, which let the team use its pool for free. Dan Helterline, president of the swim team board, said they decided to put the team on temporary hold in lieu of the Coronavirus pandemic and the pool repair. The Montana Federation of Swimmers have left the July 4 weekend open in the schedule in case the Piranhas have a team, said Helterline.

There was a time last year that it looked as though it was going to cost much more to get the pool fixed. Superior Shotcrete Services told the mayor it would cost between $380,000 to $420,000 to repair the pool by making a new shell for it, although it would have been six inches more shallow. However, Ryan Spiekermeier's Trueline company installed new stainless steel brackets and braces and fixed the problem for nearly $24,000, said Rowan.

Thompson started the plumbing phase on April 3 and spent just over a week installing the five different sizes of pipe from 1-1/2 to 6 inches. He placed 17 inlets for the supply water from the filter system and 22 drain outlets, which were placed about four inches higher than the old ones so the water would completely drain when they empty the pool at the end of the season. Thompson relocated the main supply so it won't be susceptible to freezing anymore.

The town's public works staff and the mayor started filling in the dirt around the pipes immediately after the pressure testing was done in an effort to save money, as they did during the concrete and gravel removal portion last year. Rowan believes they saved around $4,000 by doing that work themselves. He said it would probably take them about a week. Double C Construction, owned by Kurt Campbell of Missoula, who dug up the concrete, was hired to pour the new concrete around the 80-foot by 45-foot pool at an estimated cost of $12,500 and which should take only a week. 

The entire project will cost about $43,000 - all which came from the Committee For Safe Swimming, a nonprofit organization created almost 20 years ago specifically to help the town pay for pool expenses outside its normal budget. The CSS raised $50,000 to get the pool running this time. The CSS has contributed over $140,000 to pool repairs with donations and fundraisers since it started. Rowan said the pool would not be running without the financial assistance from CSS. The town paid about $1,000 for gravel.

The town budgets nearly $40,000 annually for the pool. About half of the actual operating costs goes toward the salaries of lifeguards and their certifications. The rest goes for propane, chemicals, and minor routine maintenance. Rowan said the work on the pool was substantial and should give the pool an added lifespan of around 15 years. Plains resident Doug Wipplinger donated his time and equipment to get the pool running, said the mayor.

"We won't know how many years we've added to the lifespan, but the work done was substantial. I think the metal bracing is better and it's more heavy duty. And the bolts are better because they're stainless steel instead of galvanized," he said. "I will be extremely happy to see it operational again." The mayor said the pool is not a profit maker for the town, but he believes it's an important part of the community.

Plains isn't the only one doing pool work. Quinn's Hot Springs Resort closed down operations even before the governor's mandate, but kept a handful of staff working on security and other essential work. The busiest work at the resort is construction of the resort's new pool system, which includes seven individual pools ranging from three to almost five feet deep and with a variety of temperatures, and with sizes going from the smallest at 10 by 18 feet to a 70 by 85 footer, said Keven Hambright, owner of Great Northwest Pools & Spas, the company contracted to create the new pools. Hambright's Missoula firm started construction last July. They halted work for the winter just before Thanksgiving and started again a month ago. Hambright said the Coronavirus didn't slow the work, but stalled getting some of the materials.

Hambright, the project designer, has been building pools for more than 35 years. The Quinn's pool area will cover 7,200 square feet and will have three waterfalls. Hambright is building the pool to look like it's part of the mountainside. His crew placed several boulders, some weighing tons, around the pools. "I'm making it look like it's been there a hundred years and meld it with the rock formation," said Hambright, who added he plans to be done with the project July 1. Hambright said he's been working close with Quinn's management team, in particular Damian Albright, the resort's projects manager.

Cost for the pool is estimated at $1.2 million, but the project includes the construction of a new 4,400-square foot building next to the new pool that will have showers, lockers and changing rooms. The entire project is estimated at over $3-million, according to Ben Slusser, the resort's managing director. The old pools, which are over 15 years old, will be filled in.