Veterans Memorial Park Pool closed until July 11 due to 'catastrophic' mechanical failure
Duncan Riley, of Ann Arbor, holds his daughter Hazel, 3, as he covers his eyes while cooling off at Veterans Memorial Park Pool on June 19.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include information from Colin Smith, manager of parks and recreation for Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor officials have announced that the Veterans Memorial Park Pool has experienced a "catastrophic" mechanical failure of the main pool pump late Saturday that has shut down the pool until Wednesday, July 11.
Colin Smith, manager of parks and recreation for Ann Arbor, said the failure occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday after the pool had closed for the day.
"Without the main pool pump you can't run the pool," Smith said.
Repairs are currently under way, but replacement parts for the pump are needed in order to resolve the problem and the parts are currently being manufactured, Smith said.
Availability of these parts are the reason for the expected duration of the closure of the pool located at 2150 Jackson Road.
"They have to be manufactured," Smith said. "That’s the reason it's taking longer than people would expect."
At this point, Smith said he isn't entirely sure how much the repairs will cost but he's estimating the costs may amount to more than $15,000.
During this time, both Fuller Park and Buhr Park outdoor pools will remain open. Smith said individuals with season pool passes can use them at either of the two remaining open pools.
With the upcoming July 4th holiday, Smith said he is expecting the pools to be quite busy.
"I think they’ll be busy but I think they can handle it," Smith said.
On June 19, Veterans was closed due to concern regarding cloudiness in the pool. Smith said area public pools are often closed because of mechanical issues.
"It's not unusual for a pool to close periodically," Smith said. "They are reasonably complicated systems in place. If there is ever a concern in regards to safety, we’re going to close the pool."
Programs scheduled at Veterans between Monday, July 2 to Wednesday, July 11 have been accommodated elsewhere and participants have been contacted.
The following activities have been affected:
- Session II swim lessons will take place at their scheduled times, but will meet at Fuller Pool (1519 Fuller Road).
- The Veterans Memorial Dolphins Swim Team will continue to meet at their normal times, but will swim at Skyline High School Swimming Pool (2552 North Maple Road).
- Splash Day activities at Veterans scheduled for Saturday, July 7 have been canceled.
Comments
Dog Guy
Wed, Jul 4, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.
DJBudSonic mentioned a continuing cloudiness at Vets. Perhaps the pH was too high, precipitating calcium, and the sand in the filter is now one big rock.
ownrdgd
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 2:44 p.m.
Well,lots of mud slinging on this issue Zip is 80 % right mr submariner is talking out his other hole. As for me I have extensive knowledge of pools and there maintenance.30 yrs and counting As one person said here you can buy a good sized pump and have it on site for 4-7K delivered in 2-3 days. Any large pool needs replacement parts on site for major repairs. Never,never depend on just one pump always have a backup pump on site and preferably as Mr zip said plumbed into the system so it can be used with very little down time. Flip a switch and open and close a few valves and your back in business. How many pools does this city have,6 or more,they need backup pumping systems
DJBudSonic
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 2:44 a.m.
Vets is by far the grossest pool in Ann Arbor. The water is cloudy most of the time, it seems to have a sheen on the surface. I'm not surprised the pump broke down, but maybe they should replace it instead of extending an obsolete unit with manufactured parts. It can't be that huge a pump, the high school pools are bigger than Vets, what do they use?
Dog Guy
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 2:32 a.m.
Good quality new 15 h.p. pumps with motor and basket are available in two days for $4k to $4.5k including shipping. So how big is this pump that costs so much to repair? Perhaps it is obsolescent and they don't want to adapt a new one.
justcurious
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 11:33 p.m.
This is what happens when a city wants a pretty face but could care less about a healthy body. Art over infrastructure.
InsideTheHall
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:59 p.m.
And Atlas Shrugged. The weight of government and the Green Belt siphoning off recreation dollars leading to skinnying things like vital and critical spare parts. See any youth baseball being played at Vets lately? Nope. They jacked up the field rates and now EMU is raking in the cash while A2 diamonds sit idle. But the Mayor proclaims "Public art for all it's for the public good. And we need a new train station so more public art can be displayed. Yes, now a mural on the pool bottom at Vets. Yes, never let a good crisis go to waste." Send in the clowns.
timjbd
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:40 p.m.
"...replacement parts for the pump are needed in order to resolve the problem and the parts are currently being manufactured, Smith said. Availability of these parts are the reason for the expected duration of the closure of the pool located at 2150 Jackson Road. "They have to be manufactured," Smith said." ------------------------- Soooooo.. you're saying the parts have to be manufactured, then?
jns131
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:34 p.m.
Catastrophic. What a great word to mean loss of income for both the pool and the people who guard it. Sorry to hear this.
David Cahill
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 9:57 p.m.
I remember the Downtown Library having to close several years ago because something broke and the part was so old it was no longer in stock and had to be manufactured. Is age the problem here as well?
Ron Granger
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 9:21 p.m.
This is clearly the fault of Obama. Or Unions. Or unions of Obama and Unions. Sunspots. It could be sunspots.
ypsilistener
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 9 p.m.
We sure feel your pain here in Ypsi. Been there too many times to count! Good luck!
jns131
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:36 p.m.
Ah shucks, go ahead and say it. Rutherford Pool. Always catastrophic because the pool is closed this summer.
ussubmariner
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
Zip the Cat... You are talking out of the wrong hole. You know nothing about pool management and it's real obvious. Just, maybe a home owner or university can afford to have a 15-20,000 dollar pump laying around. A home owner would only need to spend 200.00-300.00 for a spare.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 8:41 p.m.
The fallout from the Obamacare decision continues.
bobslowson
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 5:13 p.m.
That's funny....Romney's own guy is calling it a penalty.
jns131
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:37 p.m.
Taxes anyone?
Tom Todd
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 8:02 p.m.
Everyone's a maintenance person nowadays?
redwingshero
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
Man, I can remember swimming there everyday in the summer growing up. Got the summer pass and keeping cool everyday. Sucks that during a stretch like this people on the west side have to make the trek across town.
buildergirl
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:45 p.m.
First world problems
Fender66
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.
Maybe it was just a Babyruth floating in the pool that caused all that cloudiness. Call Carl Spackler!
redwingshero
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:57 p.m.
"It's still good"...
H.
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.
Come on. We all know what really happened. Spaulding yelled "doodie" and everyone evacuated.
jns131
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:37 p.m.
Hurray for Captain Spaulding......
Honest Abe
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.
Wow, all that pee in the pool finally caught up.
LB
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:03 p.m.
Lack of maintenance sounds like the likely story. Furthermore, for 15K, you could put in a brand new pump, you would think.
a2citizen
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 1:09 a.m.
The only maintenance performed on swimming pools pumps is cleaning the filters and strainers. Outside of that there isn't any preventative maintenance.
Alan Goldsmith
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
Has routine maintenance been decreased with the cut backs in City employees? Something smells fishy with the explanation given here. How old is the pump? Why wasn't it maintained properly? What do back up parts have to be 'manufactured"?
Stuart Brown
Thu, Jul 5, 2012 : 5:57 a.m.
Bingo! This is the second year in a row that a pool has gone out of commission during a summer hot spell. It's just the city's way of reminding the peasants to not expect too much. With the city accumulating $29 million in the roads fund while the city's streets cratered, why should you be surprised when something like this happens?
xmo
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 6:45 p.m.
Well, at least Ann Arbor is one of the Top Ten Cities to live in! Who knows where we would be if we could keep our pools open?
Middle America
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 9:39 p.m.
I'm surprised xmo isn't bemoaning the idea of public pools all together - they are part of the socialist revolution.
Michigan Man
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 10:50 p.m.
Really long for the days when Ann Arbor was an All American City.
bedrog
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 8:23 p.m.
surprised you didn't call the pump a 'liberal".
zip the cat
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 6:39 p.m.
Most well run and managed pools have backups for ALL mechanical systems,so when the so called (catastrophic) break down occurs,you flip a switch and open and close a few valves and keep running. The first sentence says it all
a2citizen
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 1:05 a.m.
Back up pumps in pools? Never heard of it, not even in well funded private clubs.
Ron Granger
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 9:20 p.m.
Maybe in extremely well funded private clubs. Not so much in muni pools.
Mick52
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 5:55 p.m.
Wow, what lousy timing when the weather is in the 90s.
say it plain
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 6:10 p.m.
Just the type of weather when *pool* pumps break down lol...
redwingshero
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 5:21 p.m.
Hey Ollie, how you beating the heat? -"Swimmin' hole!"
say it plain
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 6:09 p.m.
Lol...
Ron Granger
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 4:47 p.m.
Wow! And people mocked me when I said we should build a pool on top of the new parking structure. Where's that map of pools and swimming holes in Ann Arbor? You wouldn't believe the tiny hidden lakes that exist right in the city.
Epengar
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 7:47 p.m.
doh, I meant "What *about* Second Sister..." of course. There's also Barton Pond to consider too.
Epengar
Tue, Jul 3, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.
What Second Sister Lake in Dolph Park? Not swimmable?
Ron Granger
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 9:19 p.m.
I know of at least one other. It is private, in the middle of a large block. Few people know it exists. And I'm not tellin'.
Ross
Mon, Jul 2, 2012 : 7:33 p.m.
Yeah, you keep saying that. 'cept, I don't agree. The only lake within the city limits, that you could comfortably swim in, is down off south 7th / sci church. Not public, though. I have exhaustively searched the ann arbor area on google maps (I am a map nerd). If you want to swim in a lake, just drive 30 minutes northwest to pinckney rec area. Tons of great lakes up there.