Kalihi pool
to stay closed
for 6 months
to fix cracks

Problems with the lining lead
to safety concerns; repairs are
expected to keep the pool
closed well past the summer

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

The Kalihi Valley District pool is expected to remain closed for at least the next six months, leaving hundreds of area residents without a public swimming facility over the summer.

The city shut down the pool April 19 following questions about the pool's lining.

Originally built in 1976 with a plaster lining, the pool was relined in 1995 with vinyl.

Since then, however, the lining has had to be redone several times because of holes and tears. The pool was shut down twice in February to repair the lining, Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim said.

Parks Director Bill Balfour shut down the pool indefinitely in April after cracks began showing again. City officials say feet or clothing could be snagged in the cracks.

City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the city has set aside $450,000 in next year's construction budget for a permanent, plaster tile liner.

The budget, however, would not take effect until July 1 and tiling would take an estimated five months, leaving the pool shut down until at least December.

Costa said the administration wants to open the pool for at least part of the summer. The city is trying to get either the manufacturer or contractor to pay for temporary patches of the lining.

While Costa refused to discuss specifics, sources said there is disagreement over whether the damage is covered by warranty.

Kim said she was told by park officials there are eight years left on a warranty for the lining.

No relief on hot days

The slow response by the city is leaving hundreds without the use of the pool during its busiest season, she said.

"We have a high-density area with kids who can get into trouble, and we're trying to keep them off the street," she said.

Tony Pfaltzgraff, executive director for the Kalihi YMCA, said he signed an agreement in January to have between 150 and 200 youths a day use the pool as part of his organization's learn-to-swim program.

Pfaltzgraff said he had to scramble for a month to make alternate arrangements. A class he began in April also had to be relocated, he said.

And while he was able to find other sites, he worries about others who use the pool, including the city Summer Fun program, Farrington High School and St. Andrew's Priory.

"That's the only swimming facility in the entire Kalihi-Palama area," he said, noting that the state has left Farrington's pool closed for a number of years.

Costa said Summer Fun programs that use a pool already have been diverted elsewhere, as have senior water exercise and toddler swimming classes.

More than a quick fix

Kim is skeptical whether a temporary repair will be helpful at this stage.

"It doesn't make sense to patch the pool again since it's been done twice without positive results."

Kim said she began hearing about the situation in August 1998 but believes the problem began much earlier.

"The city should have worked more quickly -- the city should have realized this was a major problem last year," she said.

The administration could have included the pool repair as part of a widely publicized supplemental budget earlier this year but failed to do so, Kim said.

"We're putting all this money and time into new park and recreational projects, which is fine, but we cannot ignore the existing facilities," she said.