Now it appears it will be closed this school year for safety reasons.
See the letter sent by Superintendent John Ramos today:
Columbia High School Families and Staff:
We are suspending the use of the Columbia High School pool, effective immediately. We cannot use the pool in its current state without compromising the safety of our students and staff.
As
you know, in 2013 SOMSD did a partial repair of the most egregious
structural problems with the pool to gain a few extra years of life out
of the space.
This
Spring, we noticed excessive humidity in the pool area, and
condensation on the underside of the pool itself. At the recommendation
of our architectural consultants, EI Associates, we decided to do what
is called “destructive testing” to analyze what is happening within the
structure, which is not externally visible. This work was conducted
over the summer and included taking core samples from the pool walls and
deck and analyzing the samples, as well as using ground-penetrating
radar to assess the rebar for possible corrosion.
In
a meeting this morning, EI Associates shared the testing results and
indicated that the pool structure is not stable. They informed us that
there is no way to predict when or if failure would happen, but that if
failure does happen, it would be catastrophic if the pool is filled with
water at the time, and even more so if there are any students or staff
in the area.
We
have taken immediate action to protect the safety of our students and
staff, ensure the swim team will be supported in the absence of our own
pool space, and provide alternative programming to our Freshmen who were
scheduled to take Swimming this year. Specifically:
- Safety/Facilities
- The pool is currently empty of water.
- We are restricting all access to the area.
- Athletics/Swim Team
- Athletics Director Larry Busichio is working to secure an alternate location in which the swim team can practice and host meets.
- Physical Education for Freshmen:
- Students scheduled for swimming in the first quarter will have a fitness course instead.
- Students scheduled for swimming in the other 3 quarters will be scheduled into a different PE rotation (this may be fitness, but the decision will be made after we have reviewed all possible spaces and available staffing)
In
the long term, the Administration and the Board of Education need to
decide the future of the current pool space. Once we determine our plan
for this space, it will take a minimum of three years to either rebuild
the pool, or to convert the space to a different use. This includes
time for design, obtaining requisite approvals, securing funding, and
construction. We will keep the community informed of the conversation as
we move forward.
Sincerely,
John J. Ramos, Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
*******
Summary of Testing Results:
- Compressive strength of concrete as low as 1200 psi (current construction standards are 5000 psi)
- Degradation of rebar, in some places exceeding 50%
- Water proofing membrane degraded to the point where it is of no value
- Water was seeping through, and the continued presence of water with accompanying chlorine is aggressively attacking the structural foundation of the pool.
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