photo by: Photo by Shelley Hanson

The McMechen swimming pool, situated just off 16th Street in the city, is shown on Wednesday. It will not open this season since of harm and price troubles, mentioned Mayor David Goddard.

McMECHEN – The city of McMechen will not be opening its swimming pool this summer season due to harm, price troubles and low attendance, mentioned Mayor David Goddard.

Goddard mentioned Wednesday that members of city council voted not too long ago to close the pool, citing the troubles and lack of dollars to deal with the challenges.

“The walls are falling in the deep finish of the pool,” he mentioned, adding the pool is produced of block walls covered with cement.

He noted the pool is not the form that can be fixed with a liner.

Simply because of this harm the city suffered $120,000 worth of water loss throughout final season. Goddard believes the water loss is due to the broken walls. He believes there is water beneath the pool.

A further aspect in the choice was the low attendance numbers.

“We’ve had pretty low turnout the final couple years at the pool, as tiny as 5 or six persons,” he mentioned.

He attributes the low attendance to extra persons possessing backyard pools, persons swimming at Benwood’s newly refurbished pool and other folks wanting to swim at bigger swimming pools in basic.

Goddard mentioned the city has produced repairs to the pool more than the years, but it can’t absorb such massive losses in 1 season.

“Small cities can’t afford to drop that dollars in a time period of much less than six months,” he mentioned.

Goddard mentioned the city has attempted to obtain grants to assistance repair the pool, but nothing at all has been readily available.

“If we obtain dollars or get some assistance, we will revisit and go from there,” he mentioned.

Goddard noted the final estimate the city received to repair the pool by acquiring rid of the broken deep finish was extra than $300,000. He mentioned that quantity would most likely be larger now.

Goddard mentioned the pool is about 50 years old. He remembers it opening when he was ten years old.

People or organizations who would like to provide help concerning the pool, can contact the city offices at 304-232-3140.

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