Committee Ready To Present Pool Alternatives

The Cheshire Community Pool Evaluation Committed has three options it is considering to replace the failed bubble that collapsed in February.

It will present those options, as well as accept public input, at a workshop June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Cheshire Town Hall.

The cheapest, but least desirable, of those options is to replace the bubble with another bubble. The town already has the money, estimated to be about $300,000, on hand for that because it received reimbursement cost from the town's insurance carrier.

But the more popular - and expensive - options involve the construction of a permanent structure over the pool.

The pool was built a decade ago and is very widely used by many segments of the community — by students on the Cheshire High School swim teams, but families with young children, by seniors looking to exercise. The usage brings in about $600,000 a year in revenue to the town.

But the bubble over the pool in the fall and winter has proven problematic. In February, during the blizzard the dumped about 40" of snow in the region, the bubble collapsed for the second time in three years. 

After the collapse there were calls for the construction of a permanent structure over the pool rather than replacement of the bubble. Answering those calls, the Town Council appointed the committee and charged it to investigate in which direction the town should go. That committee has spent hours researching the options and is taking trips to other communities with similar structures as those being considered.

On Thursday, the committee met to finalize the presentation that will be made at next week's meeting.

One option is to replace the bubble with another bubble. It's the least expensive option, but the least preferable, committee members said, because of its poor history. If the town were to decide to go in that direction, the restructured bubble would be strengthened in order to help avert future collapses.

The two other options include a "tension membrane" structure made of galvanized steel and aluminum, and a polycarbonate structure with a permanent aluminum frame popular at water parks.

The tension membrane structure is estimated to cost in the area of $2 to $3 million, while the polycarbonate structure would run around $5 to $7 million.

The first option would not require approval at a referendum, while the other two options would. The committee is aiming to have it on the November ballot if a referendum is necessary.