Parks board votes to close failing kiddie pool at Burnworth Memorial Pool
(Talk of the Town file photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano) Above, a group of small children are seen splashing around in the Burnworth Memorial Pool's kiddie pool. The park board voted last night to close the small pool adjacent to the larger community pool to investigate the cause of a leak and look at any underlying issues.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
Addressing a problem that has been bubbling for years, the Columbia City Parks Department board of directors voted Tuesday night to close the kiddie pool at Burnworth Memorial Pool.
"It has leaked for at least 20 years," said Mayor Jim Fleck, "and it's probably getting worse."
"We have to have to fill it every day with a hose," parks director Mark Green told the board. "We have no idea where that water goes and it's chlorinated."
Where the leaking water goes is an issue the board is concerned about.
"We have a belief that at least some of that water makes its way to the (Columbia City High) school parking lot," Fleck said.
Board members, including Kelley Sheiss, Mauri Bordner, Mark Ellis and Mike Malcolm, were vocal about closing the pool and performing some exploratory work to determine the extent of the leak and possible long-term solutions to either fixing it, removing it or replacing it. Those decisions, they said, would be best made with information and could be given to a newly formed pool focus group that will be looking at the viability and future of the entire Burnworth Memorial Pool facility.
Bordner suggested closing the kiddie pool for the season, roping off the area and bringing in a backhoe to get under the pool and see what problems exist.
"I think you need to close it from a safety standpoint," Bordner said. Bordner was concerned that potential instability of the smaller pool may have consequences for the larger, more frequently used Burnworth Pool nearby. Green pointed out that while the kiddie pool experiences some usage in the summer months, the larger pool is more utilized by the community.
The board voted unanimously to close the pool and explore what issues exist with it before determining what might happen with it in the future.
The larger pool will remain open. The Burnworth Memorial Pool focus group is expected to begin meeting soon.