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Last updated on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
(BLOOMFIELD) - The Bloomfield Town Council decided in a special session Friday the town pool will not open this summer.
Sabrina Westfall of the Greene County Daily World reports that the decision was made in an effort to further evaluate the safety of the swimming facility.
"This is not the end," Council President Eric Harrah stressed. "We want to see a (swimming) facility here (in Bloomfield)."
Councilman Dave Harding made the motion to hire Midwest Engineers, Inc., out of Loogootee, for a flat rate of $5,000 for the full inspection of the facility. The councilmen were concerned with the "plus costs" aspects of the other two engineering firms.
"Plus, I like the similar rural aspect (of Loogootee)," Harding said.
Harding said he would like to have all of the council's questions answered in order to ensure the pool's safety.
Harrah added the council members will either meet the engineer on site or sit down and talk about their concerns during the inspection.
The council president noted he fears if several major repairs need to be completed the entire pool will need to be updated.
A previous discussion between the council and pool board members brought to light the annual Health Department inspections never showed any major issues.
Harrah said Councilman Doug Frye spoke with Greene County Environmental Specialist Mark Miller after the health inspector attended a Heath Department Pool Seminar in Greenwood.
"He (Miller) said he was talking to the lady running the seminar, and she said their department is not in the business of closing pools for structural issues," Harrah said.
The Health Department is in charge of checking chemical levels and overall health safety.
Harrah said they also learned the Greenwood pool had recently been shut down due to structural issues.
"I did ask them to email me some contacts (to the Greenwood pool) so we could pick their brains," Harrah added.
The councilman said once the inspection is complete they will take steps to decide the future of the pool, or consider other ideas to replace it.
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