Repair Plan In Place For Aquatic Center

The Glenwood City Council was given an update last week on repairs planned in the coming weeks for the Glenwood Aquatic Center.

Although the timeline will be dictated by weather conditions, Glenwood City Administrator Amber Farnan said representatives from JEO Consulting and Eagle Engineering are confident repairs can be made in time to ensure the facility opens as planned at the start of the 2023 swimming season. Ongoing water leakage kept the 7-year-old swimming facility closed for the entire 2022 season.

Farnan said once the weather warms up, the first repair in a multiple-step process will involve sealing and waterproofing joints. 

“They’ve ordered the compound that they’re going to use to seal the joints,” she said. “That particular compound they’re going to use, to cure it needs to be on concrete that’s above 41 degrees and also air temperature that stays above 41 degrees.”

After the compound has been given a few days to cure, repairs will be made to a panel of decking near one of the diving boards and to a filter Tee on a water supply line.

“There’s a filter Tee that needs to be replaced and they’re also going to help with the required piping that’s adjacent to that Tee,” Farnan said. “When we fixed the larger leak that was underneath the decking, (public works director) Jamey Clark went to turn the pool back on and we had that other pipe break.

“When they tried to replace that Tee, they had a hard time finding one that matched the fitting there. So, JEO said they’re going to find the filter and the required piping to that Tee to make sure that’s all done correctly and they have the right fittings there.”

JEO Consulting was the engineering firm the city selected in 2014 to oversee construction of the aquatic center, which opened in July 2016. Although the warranty for the aquatic center has expired, JEO has agreed to assist the city in making the necessary repairs. and cover the costs. Eagle Engineering was contracted in 2022 by the city to handle its engineering-related matters.

Farnan said city staff is communicating with JEO and Eagle Engineering on a regular basis.

“The feeling I get from them is that this still on track,” she said. “They are not worried. Actually, it’s been warmer than it usually is this time of the year. We might even get a better start than anticipated.”

In addition to the repairs at the aquatic center, a representative of Eagle Engineering is going to be meeting with public works and school district officials to discuss a sinkhole situated on a grassy area between the aquatic center and Glenwood Community High School. Farnan said Eagle Engineering engineers are confident the sinkhole won’t impact the aquatic center repairs but the discussion is taking place at the request of JEO.