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By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Farrington sophomores Roland Bustamante, left, and Joshua
Alesna pass the unusable swimming pool that some students
regard as a school embarrassment. Others urge that
classrooms and restrooms be repaired first.

Farrington High
facilities ‘just scary’

With the biggest repairs backlog
among isle public schools, an
official says, its swimming
pool must wait

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

The shutdown of the Kalihi Valley District Park swimming pool this week makes it the second aquatic facility in the area that is out of commission.

The L-shaped pool at Farrington High School down the street has been closed for more than a year as a result of myriad problems. And the odds that it will be operating anytime soon are between zero and none, according to school officials.

Farrington Vice Principal Myron Monte estimated it would cost roughly $1.5 million to fix the pool.

Renovations made to the massive pumping room below the pool several years ago were ill-designed and never worked properly, Monte said. School officials discovered that the pump was made of cast iron, which corrodes in a chlorinated pool, Monte said. A separate problem involves sand getting into the pump's filters.

A task force of officials from the school and the Department of Education, as well as pool experts, also determined that a concrete wall should surround the pool to prevent trespassers and limit liability, Monte said. Ramps on two sides of the pool leading to the stands also must be eliminated.

Also, the plaster inside the 50-year-old pool and the pool deck needs serious repair, as do the boys' and girls' locker rooms, Monte said.

But with a backlog of some $20 million in more crucial repair and maintenance jobs on campus -- from leaky roofs to broken restroom fixtures -- Monte said it doesn't look like the pool will be ready for swimmers anytime soon.

"I've got science rooms with lab tables falling down, the faucets all wobbling and the cabinets all termite-eaten," he said.

The repairs backlog is considered the largest of any public school in the state, Monte said. Last year, the school got $9,000 for repair and maintenance, he said.

Monte and other school administrators are wary that further publicity of the pool's problems will lead to the removal of funds from more crucial projects, he said.

"Our biggest fear in the school is that monies that could be used for classroom renovations, termite problems and roof leaks will be diverted," Monte said.

"We'd much prefer that any renovation monies coming into Farrington's campus go to the classrooms."

Farrington students were mixed about what should take higher priority -- the classroom buildings or the pool.

Sophomore Joshua Alesna said the pool should take first priority. "People want to swim when it gets all hot," he said.

The pool is a source of embarrassment for senior Lilo Tuavela. "It looks like we can't afford it or something. It looks old and stuff." The pool also provides students with a free-time activity, she said.

But others side with the school's administration.

"We should fix the school buildings first," said senior Bryan Munoz. The restrooms in particular, he said, are "unsanitary," while "the pool is only for pool class."

Senior William Sithivong said he always thinks twice about using school restrooms because they are unclean. As for the pool, he said, "We can always go to the beach."

Sophomore Tyler Fujimoto said teachers tell him the desks in the classrooms have been around for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, he said, the boys' restrooms are always shutting down for repairs, while other facilities are "just scary."