Key Events for The Big Pool

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1944

Aquatics consultants Counsilman-Hunsaker perform a facility audit to determine necessary maintenance.

Repairs to all four pool filters, including replacing broken laterals, installing new valve handles, and replacing sand filtration media, costing $97,332.00.
Locker rooms receive a fresh coat of paint and a breastfeeding/changing room is added.

May: Massive pool leaks are discovered. The pool is determined to lose about two inches of water daily (approximately 75,000 gallons/day).
November: A camera inspection of the plumbing was approved but not completed. The pool remained operational as water loss increased over the next three years.
The city begins a comprehensive study of the pool’s condition and future. Limited geotechnical tests reveal substantial saturation of the soils under the pool.

A Tennessee historical marker for the Oak Ridge Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool is installed.
The city surveys the public, secures $125,000 for pool design, and seeks consultancy.

Water loss escalates to 110,000 gallons daily, a 47% increase from 75,000 gallons/day in 2021.
Total estimated water loss over the three years nearly reaches 30 million gallons.
The city hires Kimley-Horn to design solutions.
Kimley-Horn delivers three potential design concepts for a new pool, with costs ranging up to $29 million, including $5.8 million in contingencies for unknown conditions below the pool floor.
Limited testing re-confirms the presence of water under the pool, but the root cause of the leaks remains undetermined.

Kimley-Horn presents three “destroy & replace” new pool design concepts, with costs ranging up to $29 million, plus up to $5.8 million in contingencies for unknown conditions.
Kimley-Horn’s partner contractor, Counsilman-Hunsaker, declares the pool has reached the end of its lifespan and deems the pool “dead” without conducting a new assessment.
In July an additional $50,000 is secured for further exploration of the pool project.
The pool has been in disrepair now for