Urbanna pool won’t open

by Tom Chillemi – 

The Urbanna community swimming pool will remain closed. The Urbanna Town Council made it official at its April 22 meeting with a unanimous vote to not reopen the pool, due to safety concerns.

Council also appointed a pool committee that will research costs and feasibility to replace the pool that is more than 50 years old.

Committee Chairman Goldsmith said a study determined the shallow end of the main pool was not deep enough for competitive swimmers to do flip turns safely, there are water quality issues, and the walls are unstable, among other things. The problems, according to the study, make it more expensive to repair the pool properly than to replace it, said Goldsmith. He added that the water quality issues would need to be addressed because the state does not grandfather poor water quality.

Town Administrator Garth Wheeler told council that he contacted three pool companies and none were interested in working on the old pool once they learned of the study that “virtually condemns” the pool. There is also some concern about insurance…