EPHS Pool To Be Closed Down! 3 to 4 Million in Repairs Needed. Updated...

By Bob Rodericks

EPHS Pool Deemed Structurally Unsafe. Approx. $700,000, Maybe More in Bond Monies already spent for Energy savings, Now Wasted?

East Providence High School has received another blow to its' 60 year old ailing and aging structure. After receiving preliminary architectural estimates that it will take between 3.7 and 4 Million dollars to repair the pool, the school committee has voted to shut down the pool in the next few days. "What more do our students have to endure with this latest news about the high school," said one high school staff member. The pool will remain closed indefinitely as city officials ponder its future. In addition to physical education classes and interscholastic league athletics, the pool is used by several community groups throughout the year. In a meeting posted on May 24th and held on May 30th, the school committee received a recommendation from architects regarding the pool. "We were told that the pool is not compliant now with (Americans with Disabilities Act) ADA standards. We also received a pretty damaging report on the high school pool's grim list of problems," said school committee chair Joel Monteiro. Monteiro and the committee were told that the pool has "serious structural deficiencies." The pool is actually housed in its own wing of the school and has a large "walking area under the pool surface" to provide access for maintenance. The concrete walls and supports that hold up the pool and the decking surrounding the pool are in serious dis-repair. "Yes, worst case is that the weight of the water could cause the pool to collapse along with the walk around decking," said Monteiro. "The roof seems ok but the steel beams should be sandblasted. That could cause more trouble," he said. The School Board Chairman was concerned with the appearance that prior preventative maintenance had been seemingly neglected. "There was no major annual preventative maintenance done for years, we believe. It was not a focus of previous administrations or school committees." The city had recently contracted with Johnson Controls Engineering to spend "a lot of money upgrading the pool." The energy savings plan included new windows, lighting, etc., which is intended to save the city money in energy costs. "No one evidently asked seriously about the structural condition of the area. This should have been questioned for some time," said Monteiro. "A lot of stuff was evidently swept under the rug for years." Monteiro has asked Superintendent Kim Mercer to report back on the situation and to make sure that all groups using the high school pool are notified of its' closure. Pools are not required in high schools and the future of the Townie pool is cloudy.