Report expected by October on Othello pool options, cost

OTHELLO — What to do about the Othello Community Pool will be the subject of a study that should be completed by October. A meeting of a community committee tasked with coming up with a recommendation is scheduled for Friday. 

Committee members and city officials will be meeting with consultants from NAC Architecture and Trinity NAC, Spokane, sometime in the next two weeks.  

Othello City Council members approved a contract for about $115,000 with NAC on Monday. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said Tuesday the goal is either recommendations for fixing the existing pool, or a possible design for a new pool. 

“We’ll go through a public process, find out what the needs are, what the desires are,” Logan said. “There are two main goals that the committee wanted. The first one is, can we rehab the existing pool, and what is it going to cost? The second is, what are some options for the community?” 

The pool was closed in summer 2024 following the discovery in April 2024 of serious damage to the structure. City officials determined the damage was caused by improper installation during construction.  

The facility was insured, but the city’s insurance carrier denied the claim. That prompted a question from councilmember John Lallas. 

“There’s absolutely no insurance money? At all?” Lallas asked. 

“They said it was wear and tear,” Logan replied. 

Lallas asked if that applied, given the improper installation. Logan said it did, and that there were other exclusions in the policy.  

“I’m surprised there wouldn’t be some sort of insurance. What had to happen in order to make it insurable?” Lallas said. “The sides needed to collapse?”  

Logan said Tuesday that whatever the merits on the insurance claim, it means that ultimately city residents will be paying the bill for repairing or replacing the pool. That may require a construction bond.  The bond for the existing pool will be paid off later this year, he said.  

Part of the contract will be determining not only what Othello residents want but also what the city can afford, Logan said. 

Talking to council members, he cited the size of the existing pool as an example.  

“I wouldn’t be surprised, as we go through this process, that we’re going to need some kind of expanded option,” he said. “But the thing is, that means it’s more cost. What cost can this community afford?” 

That’s the point of the feasibility study, he said.  

“Let’s say we have visions of (amenities) and all kinds of fancy bells and whistles. But then when (architect Brooke Hanley) comes back and says, ‘That’s $20 million, folks,’ we would not be responsible for putting something like that in front of the community,” Logan said.  

The other consideration is not only the initial rehabilitation of the pool or construction of a new one, but what the costs of upkeep would be and whether the city can afford those, he said.  

“There’s talk of an outdoor pool (where) we could eventually add a cover,” Logan said Tuesday. “Can we build in (the existing) location? Do we need to build in a different location? None of that is in stone until we walk through this process.”