Othello talks pool repairs

Cracks appear on pool deck

OTHELLO - Othello's city swimming pool committee met to discuss how cement cracks will be fixed before the pool opens next summer.

The cracks on the pool's deck appeared earlier this year after cement was poured in hot weather to meet the pool's opening deadline, said Ehman Sheldon, Othello's city administrator during a city council meeting Tuesday.

He said the repairs are not in dispute and should take about a week to complete. The city will not be required to pay any extra repair costs, which will involve removing and replacing the cracked area of the deck, he said.

The city was aware of the cracks before the pool's opening last summer, Mayor Shannon McKay said.

Councilwoman Eleanor Brodahl said she hadn't been told about the repairs.

Sheldon said the city council was given two memos about the issue and toured the project.

The project's general contractor, Kennewick-based Apollo Inc., wants to make sure the city is satisfied with the proposed repairs that are expected to change the deck's color, Sheldon said.

Keith Larson, vice-president of Apollo, said the pool itself is not cracked, but the sidewalk around it is. He said the work will cost less than $10,000. Apollo will pay for the work, which involves replacing a 600 square-foot section of concrete, he said.

Poppoff Inc., out of Moxee, did the original work, he said.

Poppoff President Mike Poppoff said Thursday Apollo hadn't told him about any cracks on the project, but that he planned on calling Apollo.

The $2.6 million pool opened in June after less than a year of construction and was built to replace the city's old pool. The pool is being paid for with a voter-approved bond.