Posted: Apr 22, 2008  10:14

Mired in severe leakage problems and repairs for years, one of Bonners Ferry's oldest and most treasured facilities - the city pool - is expected to undergo a temporary patch-up to help carry it through the summer season.

Located on a 1.88-acre bluff at the corner of Washington and Fresno streets, the 70-year-old pool - where generations of Boundary County children took their first swimming strokes - is nearing the end of its useable life for its water filter.

It was purchased decades ago from Sandpoint's water filtration plant and has continually undergone repairs throughout the years.

"We're definitely going to operate the pool this year," said city administrator Stephen Boorman. "We're going to have to do some temporary patching and concrete grout repair, which will get us through the summer. In the fall, however, we will have to do a more major repair."

Traditionally, the city opens the pool to the public either the first or second week of June.

Last year, leakage through the pool's isolation joints caused up to 20,000 gallons to seep out in early June, forcing city officials to consider options for another pool. The facility's filter is no longer repairable, and officials had said a new filter - which could cost as much as $35,000 - may still not solve the bulk of the pool's problems.

The city had considered purchasing a mobile filter for the pool so it could be utilized if a new facility was to be built in the near future.

"The temporary patching will reduce some of the leakage problems we've been encountering," said Boorman. "We'll see how much of a reduction it actually is when the pool opens in June."