Othello pool issue remains undecided

OTHELLO — A report detailing the damage to the Othello Community Swimming Pool should be delivered to city officials in a few weeks. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said the pool was evaluated July 26 by an engineer with the city’s insurance company. 

City officials discovered in April that the pool was damaged. In a report to the Othello City Council, Public Works Director Curt Carpenter said the damage might be significant enough to require replacing the entire pool.  The pool didn’t open in 2024 and will stay closed until it’s repaired or replaced.  

Logan said the evaluation isn’t complete, but even without the full analysis it’s clear the pool has problems.  

“(The engineer) identified where the pool is compromised,” Logan said. “And he was pointing out, based on where the liner was, where the likely leaks were taking place.” 

To date the analysis, which required removal of the pool liner, has uncovered “significant damage,” Logan said. Whether repairs will require replacing the entire pool is still to be determined, he said. 

City officials have established a residents’ committee to look at alternatives for repair and replacement, if necessary. Chis Dorow, chair of the Othello Planning Committee among other things, is the Aquatic Center Task Force chair. 

Dorow said the committee’s deliberations will depend on the outcome of the pool evaluation. 

“We’re still in the assessment phase at this point, and what can be done,” Dorow said. 

As of now the committee is proceeding on the assumption that the pool will have to be replaced — but that’s still to be determined, Dorow said. If the pool is salvageable that will make a big difference.  

“That changes everything,” he said.  

If the pool is salvageable, the committee would support repairs to get it reopened as quickly as possible, Dorow said. 

Logan said that right now, the committee is looking for the best fit for Othello.  

“They’re looking at what are the needs of the community. What does this community need for a swimming pool, what other facilities would it be paired with?” Logan said. “And do we want an indoor, an outdoor, or some kind of hybrid swimming pool?” 

Dorow said one of the committee’s goals is to look at options for year-round use. At a July 12 committee meeting, he said any design would have to be something the city could afford, and city residents would approve.  

Among the committee's goals is providing a facility that would allow for year-round use. The new pool, whatever the design, should provide exercise opportunities for Othello residents, as well as a location for community events and a center for youth activities, Dorow wrote in a release detailing the committee’s goals. 

Dorow also said he wanted the result, whatever it is, to be something the community could and would be proud of.  

Logan said the project is still in the information-gathering phase. “We haven’t developed it enough yet, or we’re not far enough along in the process to say definitively right now that we’ve identified the things we want to see in a pool,” Logan said. 

He used an indoor-outdoor pool as an example. Committee members are receptive to the idea of a hybrid pool, but whether the city could afford to operate it in the long run is still to be determined. Sustainability is one of the questions the committee will be examining, he said.  

Committee members are working with some consultants and looking at a wide range of options, from a rebuilt pool to a park with multiple venues. For now, they’re all just ideas, he said. 

“(The committee) will probably funnel this down to three options, and then the community will have opportunities to comment and offer suggestions,” Logan said. 

    Investigation in April revealed damage to the Othello pool, with a section of the wall bulging out due to leaks and corrosion.