Seal Beach will repair the McGaugh swimming pool.
The cost will be less than $100,000.
The repair will give the pool at least seven more years of life.
The City Council voted unanimously to repair the pool at the agency’s Monday, April 12 meeting.
The council authorized the city manager to hire a repair service without putting the project out for bid.
Jill Ingram, assistant to the city manager, and Tim Kelsey, director of the department of Recreation and Community Services, presented the staff report to the council.
Ingram signed the report. Ingram said urgent repairs were needed for the pool without advertising for bids.
Kelsey presented information based on a report by the city’s consultant on the swimming pool, Commercial Aquatic Services, Inc.
At a previous meeting, the council had directed staff to find out how much of the water leaking from the pool was from evaporation and how much from other sources.
Kelsey said that Commercial Aquatic Services, Inc. found that less than 0.38 gallons of water a day was lost due to evaporation.
“It was previously reported that the pool loses approximately 10,771 gallons per day or gallons per minute for February 2008,” the staff report said.
Commercial Aquatics tested for leaks on March 27. Commercial Aquatics is a contractor specializing in repairing swimming pools. The company found five sources of leaks: the expansion joint, the surge pit, the filtration system, equipment leaks and the small pool skimmer.
The pool’s pipes, however, were fine. In a telephone interview, Kelsey said this was a surprise.
Kelsey said the pipes were a major source of concern because they were 50 years old.
Ingram’s report echoed this concern.
“Although the (piping) is past its useable lifespan it is still holding pressure and at this time can be assumed to be in working condition,” the report said.
Yet the five leaks were not the only issue facing the council.
It seems the condition of the pool is not in compliance with a federal law called the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.
The state legislature has granted counties the authority to enforce the federal law.
The Ingram report said Seal Beach had until July 1 to put McGaugh pool into compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act, or the pool would be shut down anyway.
According to the Ingram report, repairing the five leaks would cost an estimated $79,500.
The estimate added another $7,950 to the estimate as a contingency.
“The contractor has indicated that there could be an additional cost of $10,000 to repair the main drain in the large room,” the report said.
District 4 Councilman Gary Miller asked how much improvement would result if the city made the repairs.
Kelsey said the repairs wold eliminate the leaks entirely.
“I’m really at a loss as to why we didn’t do this in 2008,” Miller said.
In 2008, the consulting firm Rowley International Inc. reported that the cost of refurbishing the old swimming pool would be $3,747,000.
“We really dodged a bullet here,” said Seal Beach resident Dr. Robert Goldberg.
He pointed out that Rowley International specialized in designing swimming pools. Commercial Aquatics, on the other hand, specialized in repairing pools.
Goldberg said it would be in Seal Beach’s interest to get a new estimate for a new pool in the future.
He also pointed out that the issue of the pool came up most recently because of a report that water leaking from the pool had undermined one of the neighboring tennis courts.
Resident Dan Bailey asked the council to look at a long-term financial plan for replacing the pool.
District 3 Councilman Gordon Shanks said the city put aside $5 million to build a new pool three years earlier.
District 1 Councilman Charles Antos asked when the Orange County Health Care Agency would close the pool if repairs were not made.
Kelsey said July 1.
Heather Woodland, director of operations for Commercial Aquatic Services, said municipal pools in Southern California had already been shut down for failure to comply with the Graeme Baker Act.
“I can get the permits turned in and approved within a week,” Woodland said.
“If you act now, you can get the pool done in time before summer,” Woodland said.
She said it would take three weeks to acquire replacement filters for the pool. The other repairs could begin immediately. The pool would have to be drained to make the repairs.
Woodland estimated the pool would be closed for four weeks.
Miller asked if the repairs would give the pool another year.
Kelsey said the repairs would give the pool another seven years.
Miller said he didn’t think the city should give up a pool it had until the city had acquired land for a new pool.
Later, he said Seal Beach shouldn’t wait until McGaugh pool falls apart again.
Miller proposed hiring the consultant, Commercial Aquatics, to make the repairs rather than putting the matter out for bid.
The audience applauded.
City Attorney Quinn Barrow said the resolution before the council authorized City Manager David Carmany to hire a repair service.
Barrow advised the council to give Carmany direction to hire Commercial Aquatics.
