Outdoor pool has served city well
but needs replacement
To the editor:
How do you adequately address a longtime resident of our community or the mother of children that an iconic landmark has come to an end, when it has such powerful and deep rooted memories for them? The outdoor pool in Presque Isle was built around 1935 and at one time was the largest outdoor pool in the New England area, holding near to 1 million gallons of water is that landmark. At first it was an earthen pool and in 1956 it was paved. In the period since then it has been resurfaced many times.
Today it has multiple issues which although they have been accused of being the result of neglect or poor maintenance are really the result of the land location originally chosen. Built next to a stream, in a very spring riddled area the pool has developed a soft bottom and has lost much of its underlying integrity. Due to this an estimated 150,000 gallons are lost every two days during the seven weeks of operation. The underground piping has eroded and collapsed causing further water erosion issues. The chlorination system is sized for a 250,000-gallon pool which could work if it didn’t leak so badly. The city cannot get enough chlorine in the pool so it has to be drained and cleaned every two weeks at a cost of over $2,000 per fill.
All of this could be rectified with enough money but here is my overriding issue as to why this pool is at an end. The cost to life safety and the environment is too great to continue this facility. When the pool is drained it empties into Kennedy Brook or at least it is supposed to. In the past year the outlet pipe had collapsed and the water is going under the ball field behind the pool. This causes erosion and has the potential to overstress the back support wall which has a large crack from top to bottom, and send a mud slurry into the pool or a collapse into the ball field. Either would be catastrophic and certainly would involve a loss of life if it were in use.
On top of this the damage to the stream by putting nearly 5 million gallons of chlorinated water into it is not good environmental policy.
At the end of the day, much like my beloved antique cars there comes a time to say this is not practical for everyday use. I, of all people, understand the historical importance of this place, but it has too many overwhelming issues to be fixed. I hope you can understand my position.
That being said I’m totally for an outdoor facility and for increasing access to our indoor facility until we can make a better plan. We must teach our children to swim! I will bring more information when I have it, and look forward finding a adequate replacement for our community.
Craig R. Green
Presque Isle city councilor
