2025 Project and Improvement Updates

As you all have hopefully noticed, we've been pretty busy getting things back on track down at the pool. But before we get into the details, we do want to mention again that the pool is currently closing at 8:30pm each day due to safety concerns around the lighting in and around the pool and parking lot areas.

Ok, time for the fun(?) stuff! Here's where we stand on the projects that necessitated the special assessment and dues increase:

• Most obviously, we've been able to make some really good progress with the landscaping around the pool. With the help from board members, pool techs and general members we were able to substantially clean up the entry path and the areas around the perimeter of the pool. This involved removing dead or dying bushes, pulling weeds and, most noticeably, replacing the ground cover near the entry path with sod. We were also able to bring in some color by putting in some potted flowers and plants (a special thanks to everyone who donated plants!). We are still working to get the bare areas covered with mulch which we hope to accomplish soon as well as getting some additional greenery planted. In addition, we are hoping to have the mulberry tree removed entirely. We're sure you are all just as tired of the berries getting dropped onto the cars and patio area as we are!

  
  

• If you've lived here long enough, you might remember that the pool has a lawn sprinkler system. Well, at some point, it was turned off without being properly winterized. That led to irreparable damage to the backflow prevent as well as breaks in the supply line that runs under the concrete on the south side of the pool (we found that leak when we turned it on - let's just say, we were very confused). Luckily, with help from some of our members (thanks Larry and Dwight!), we were able to get the leaking supply line isolated and the system almost entirely up and running. There are still some sprinkler heads that need to be replaced but our hope is that we will have a functional system before the end of the month.

• Another thing you might remember if you've been here long enough is that there used to be TWO bathrooms. At some point in the past, the middle bathroom was closed off and turned into a storage space. We're fairly sure that the reasoning was damaged plumbing but, regardless, we are almost ready to get it reopened! Additionally, the primary bathroom has been fully renovated and looks great. We have also been able to replace the doors to both bathrooms (and the pump room), the ventilation fans, lights, and toilets. All of that work has been done by Larry, and we truly appreciate the time and energy he's spent down there making the bathrooms usable again. Our hope is to have the additional bathroom open ASAP and once it does, we will have signage posted indicating that one bathroom will be for men while the other will be for women.

• While the cast majority of the pool deck/patio area was in pretty good shape there had been some major areas of concern. During the special assessment meeting last year, this was the biggest ticket item we had gotten bids for. As of today, we have completed having the area where the large dumpsters are leveled so that the trip hazard is removed and the crumbling concrete at each end of the floor drain was removed and replaced. Unfortunately, the person who bid the concrete work overestimated their capabilities. We had hoped to lift the southeast corner where the wood fence meets the metal fence but the foreman that performed the other work told us that the sections were too big to be lifted and would need to be fully removed and repoured. Since we didn't have the budget for that, we decided to leave it alone and address the ponding water situation by digging out the dirt on the outside of the fence and installing a drainage system. That change actually ended up being a blessing in disguise because it saved us nearly $6,000 in previously allocated expenses. And that leads us into the next project.

• As you may have noticed, we are having to close the pool early each day due to safety concerns with the lighting in and around the pool. Our hope was that this was going to be a simple fix but in working to get this resolved, we uncovered some major concerns with the electrical system. We had contracted with Bickimer Electric to inspect and repair the lighting as well as the electrical panel and what they found wasn't great. In fact, the electrician we met with said it might be some of the most degraded and damaged electrical he has ever seen on a building this age. He literally was shocked that the building hadn't burned down from an electrical fire yet. The electrical inspection identified that in addition to the issue with the lighting (see the previous blog post), additional electrical components in the pump room, including the electrical panel itself, were severely corroded from prolonged exposure to humidity and chlorine fumes. This was causing electrical arcing as well as breaker failure (melting). Bickimer provided us with a bid to fully replace the panel and rewire everything that needed to be rewired as well replacing the high pressure sodium parking lot lights with energy efficient LED panels. Their bid came in at nearly $10,000. As part of our due diligence, we solicited another bid from QNA Construction (the owner is a pool member) and they came in at just over $6,000 for the same scope of work plus installing a data cabinet to house the security camera system and internet components. Due to the nature of the issue and the danger it presents, the Board authorized QNA to begin work on replacing the electrical panel, damaged wiring and parking lot lights. They will also be relocating the panel and the data cabinet from the pump room into the middle bathroom where they will have locking doors. Unfortunately, to perform this work we have to turn power off to the entire structure. This means that we will not be able to run the pumps and without running pumps, we can't have the pool be open. They are going to start work on Friday, June 13th and hope to have it completed that day. While they are doing the repairs, we will have the pool closed. Luckily, this cost almost exactly matches what we saved on the concrete work, so no additional assessments were needed to get this done.

• Pool filtration and chemical system upgrades are still pending. We have contacted our pool management contractor to move forward with changing the existing chlorinator out with a salt chlorinator. This will help us dramatically reduce the speed at which electrical components fail due to corrosion, it will help us reduce chemical costs in the long term and it will help reduce wear and tear on the pump and filtration components due to using fewer chemicals. We had hoped to also upgrade the filtration system and pump from sand filtration and a single speed pump to a cartridge filter and a variable speed pump but it looks like those upgrades may need to wait until next year. They weren't originally part of the dues increase or assessment so we're not backing off on it. Our contractor had hoped to be able to get the equipment affordably, to the point where we could have potentially done it this year with potential savings from other projects but the costs of the new pump and filter came in higher than anticipated. We still have this as a longer term goal because, as you may have noticed, we do get sand in the pool from the current filtration system and the variable speed pump will help to reduce electrical costs long term.

  
  

• If you've been down to the pool lately you may have noticed that there are missing tiles along the water line and along bench. At the start of the season, there were also quite a few tiles that had fallen off. Those were replaced by our pool manager but the new tiles falling off has identified a new problem. We've combed through what records we have and we can't find anything that says when the tile work was last done. Our best guess is that it was replaced when the pool surface was replaced in 2005 or 2006. In any case, it's looking like we will likely need to replace all of the tile and a good portion of the coping before next pool season. We are currently soliciting bids for this work and will provide updates once we know more. For the time being, there's not much we can do with the missing tiles. To replace them now, we would have to close the pool for at least a week so that we would have time to completely drain it, repair the missing tiles and then refill the pool. All of that costs money that we don't have in the current budget but, most importantly, it means that the pool would be closed and unable to be enjoyed. So, for the time being, please know that this is front and center for us on near term improvements.

• Lastly, and again due to poor design and maintenance, the security camera system is going to need to be replaced. The current system has eight cameras but only three are functional. Additionally, the hard drive and computer that operate the current system are not working reliably due to continued exposure to humidity and chlorine fumes. Our hope is to have a new camera system up and running before the end of June.

Wow, that was a long post! If you made it to the end, thanks for reading. As the Board has continually stated, we want to work hard to make the pool a safe, inviting and attractive environment for all our member families to be able to enjoy. We will continue to do that and will continue to post updates here as things progress.

Happy swimming!