Contractors building a new city pool in north Tulsa missed the mark — by 3.5 inches.
That’s how far below plans the Lacy Municipal Pool at 2134 N Madison Place is right now. Gary Schellhorn in the City of Tulsa engineering department said it’s a big problem because the pool won’t have the right slopes to meet state health department standards meant to keep water that’s left the pool from flowing back in, bringing pollutants with it.
"The result is having to redesign the grades in a very tight and confined area," Schellhorn said. "It will not be ready for this summer."
With the placement of the pool next to a parking lot and building, there isn't enough room to simply correct the grades.
"To lose that 3.5 inches, you’re going to be lower when you get toward the building and get toward the parking lot. So, now, you’ve lost 3.5 inches at your curb line. How do you overcome that?" Schellhorn said.
And the concrete that’s been poured is cracked, so the city is conducting water-tightness tests.
"That makes sure that the pool definitely will hold the water and there’s not leaking out, and the other is … taking cores of the areas that are cracked and making sure there are not cracks throughout the entire pool," Schellhorn said.
The test results and city plans to deal with the elevation problem will determine whether the problems are an easy fix or the $3.2 million project will require a total do-over.
Fixes are at the contractor’s cost.
