Tour of the Pool - October 15, 2003

On Wednesday evening, October 15, 2003, the Platte Canyon School District (PCSD) held a “Tour of the Pool” for the public to gain a more realistic understanding of the costs of maintaining the pool. Dr. Walpole, PCSD superintendent, was available to answer any questions pertaining to the pool. For those people who where unable to attend this event, the following will provide you with a brief overview of the information gained from the tour. The pool and its supporting equipment proved to be well worth the time and investment of park county residents.

Mr. Eliot Mansk, the PCSD maintenance supervisor, lead the tour initially into the pool room, then into the side maintenance room. Viewing the size of the fully heated (approx. 85 degrees F) pool, he explained the details and expenses of heating such a large volume of pool water (25 yards of length, 13.5 ft at deep end, 6 lanes across, 211000 gallons of water). There is a dedicated 750,000 BTU boiler just for heating the pool water. There are two 1,000,000 BTU boilers that maintain the air handling system for the old high school building. The make-up air for the pool and air handling units that supply the locker rooms uses approximately 20-25% of the energy demand of this building. Fresh air must constantly be brought in, heated, then circulated through the indoor pool area. Additionally, the air within the locker rooms must also be heated to 85-86 degrees Fahrenheit. To save energy, the air is then circulated through heat exchangers to recapture some heat energy prior to exiting through the exhaust vent. Additional savings occur during mild temperature days when the doors to the outside are propped open, allowing fresh air to naturally circulate without using the fans and heat exchangers. During the colder months, however, the recirculation system must control 100 % of the air intake into the building.

The second part of the tour was the inspection of the pool maintenance facilities. The public was permitted to view the piping system, the two sand filtration tanks, the pump, and the chemical purification systems. Mr. Mansk commented that the 26 year old equipment was in good condition, and the well laid out design provides ample space to access equipment for routine maintenance and repair. The boilers were behind an extensive cement barrier, but noted to be in good working condition. The electric pump and various gaskets have been replaced in the past years. There is an ozone generator to purify the water. The Bromine pH monitoring system was neatly mounted on a board, along with various electronic sensing devices, wiring, and hydraulic lines.

Mr. Mansk, and therefore the Platte Canyon School District, provides the maintenance for the pool and the locker rooms. During the summer of 2003, the women’s showers were rebuilt by the PCSD maintenance department. Although the equipment is in good working order, there has never been funding to upgrade any of the systems. Upgrades in the areas of natural lighting, or improved air handling systems could potentially reduce the enormous utility expenses.

Ms. Julie Youngblood, the pool manager, explained the benefits of the current Bromine system used in the pool water. Bromine is used, instead of Chlorine, as it is more stable and less expensive. Alternately, when Chlorine is used in a pool systems, its instability requires the addition of many other chemicals, which leads to greater expense. Thankfully, the use of Bromine also means the skin of the public is not soaking in quite so many chemicals.

The last portion of the tour allowed the public to view the PCSD budget, with respect to the pool’s income and expenses. During the 2001-2002 school year the pool expenses for the year totaled $117,650; including $76,030 for salaries, and $10,000 for pool supplies. The expenses did not include time paid for maintenance personnel, or utilities. The income for that year was $59,000.

This school year’s financial budget for the pool is only $75,000. The ability of the pool to stay open will be based on a monthly analysis of the pool’s income and expense sheet. The levy that is being proposed on next month’s ballot (Question 3A) would provide consistent income by which the pool may fully operate, allowing the district to pay for expenses that only relate to the use of the pool for school programs.

The Marge Hudak Pool has been a central part of this community, and an excellent resource for 26 years. The 2.3 million dollar Local Public Works Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1977, built not only the pool ($500K), but also the gymnasiums and auditorium ($720K), 2-Stories of classrooms ($160K), remodeling of existing classrooms ($150K), and alternate solar energy system ($200K), and a self contained sewage treatment facility ($40K). The grant stated that “The objectives of the project are to provide a much needed facility which is: (1) a basic community infrastructure; (2) provides an essential community service; and (3) is developmental in that it invests in future potential community service, i.e. essential education services that would otherwise be reduced and diminished if this facility is not provided.” The pool has certainly been fulfilling its objective as a community facility.

Over its 26 years of existence, the Marge Hudak Pool has been an integral part of this community, from young children to our senior citizens. It was very well designed, and is a fully functioning $6 million dollar asset. Park county does not have extensive taxes, nor does the county provide us with fancy Open Space Parks, or recreation centers. The mill levy proposed on next month’s ballot allows us the opportunity to have our own mini recreation center, the only pool on the 285 corridor. This levy can be adjusted down in later years, but can never be raised any higher. This levy allows us to take control of our pool, and assure it’s faithful operation for years to come. Considering the fluctuations in property taxes, a small controlled increase of $7.53 (per $100K assessed property valuation) for the maintenance of an existing pool is next to nothing. We could never build a new pool for that little. If the pool shut down for an extended period of time, it would cost much more to bring it back into operation. Let us take care of the assets we already have.

Although several PCSD personnel have reviewed this draft for accuracy, I take the responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this information. If you have any questions for the school district, call 303-838-7666, ext. 1000.

Angela Demaniow