If all goes as planned, the last of a trio of problems that have recently hit Bridgeport City Pool will be soon be fixed. And the final fix should be done long before most of the populace is in shorts and flip flops.

 

According to City Engineer Tom Brown, the design to make the fix to a retaining wall adjacent to Simpson Creek that is slipping and showing the early signs of failure is complete. With the design done, Brown said it’s a clear sign that all should be well for the start of the 2015 pool season.

 

The Thrasher Group, said Brown, has just finished the design and was working on the specifications. He said those specifications should be done “any day now” with the project likely being put out to bid early this coming week. He also said that the following week will likely see a pre-bid conference on the project.

 

“We hope to have the project complete, and definitely expect to have it complete, well before the opening of the pool season,” said Brown. “We actually anticipate a first of March completion to allow the Parks and Recreation staff to have time to do some landscaping and other jobs they would do in preparation for the season.”

 

In order to meet that timeline, Brown said bids should be opened by mid-December and awarded shortly thereafter. That will put to end an issue that P&R Director Don Burton addressed publicly as far back as 2012. At that time, Burton noticed gaps beginning to form on the concrete deck at the pool and also noticed the retaining wall behind the diving boards was pulling away, which led to the problem.

 

While there was never a time where anyone was in any danger because of the wall and concrete movement, there was a problem with the P&R staff moving forward with serious planning on whether to install and new slide at the City Pool. The thought was to install it in the area that currently houses the high dive, but the deck there would need to be stabilized in order to hold the weight of the slide.

 

“We’re pretty sure that the deck, even now, could handle the weight of the apparatus,” said Burton. “Once the deck wall is repaired, it won’t be an issue.”

 

The city is anticipating the fix to the retaining wall to be a six-figure project. Brown said the project will see the winning contractor buttress the existing concrete wall and put in an underdrain to carry the water away from that area. Once that’s done, Brown said the area will be backfilled.

 

“This is something that has to be fixed. Slips just don’t repair themselves and I believe the manner we’re approaching this with will work … The problem is the result of the fact there is no drainage behind that wall, which means all the soil behind it has gotten heavier over the years due to the saturation and has pushed the wall,” said Brown. “You add in the constant freeze and that that enflames that and you have the situation you have now.”

 

Burton said if the project is completed, it will mark the third issue addressed since the start of the pool season in 2014. Days before the pool opened this past year, a major water leak leading to a section of the sprayground was discovered and fixed in short order. Then, P&R personnel had to wait the entire pool season to fix a two-year leak that required the busting up of two sections of the pool deck to discover and repair.

 

“We’ve been on hold with the slide primarily because of those issues and the wall, which is the biggest issue. With the fix at hand, it’s going to allow us to start planning,” said Burton. “It’s not a matter of just saying we’re going to put in the slide and if we do decide to put in the slide, it’s also not a manner of just putting the slide down with no impact on those that utilize the pool”

 

Burton said the installation of a new slide could require additional staffing. He said although the water slide has been discussed as going where the high dive is currently located, where the slide eventually empties into will also have to be determined. There are also issues relating to how the dive could impact swim meets which are nearly weekly occurrences at the facility among others.

 

“There are logistics you really have to consider that will have an impact. Eventually, it may be determined that a slide isn’t the best scenario for the pool,” said Burton. “Now, we can make that decision and we didn’t want to begin the planning needed for a decision until we had the wall repaired and the deck ready.”

 

Editor's Note: Don Burton is shown last year looking at areas impacted the retaining wall that is slipping, while the bottom picture is a rendering of what a potential slide would look like at City Pool.