06/13/2023
Oak Ridger

Vocal majority oppose changes to Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool

Current pool loses 110,000 gallons of water, provided by spring, each day

The majority of people speaking publicly at an open house on plans to repair and rebuild the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool had one message for city officials and the consulting company tasked with creating three conceptual designs for the pool renovations: Don’t change the pool.

A resident, from left, talks with Oak Ridge City Council member Jim Dodson, and landscape architect Alisha Eley, and engineer Cary Dennis talk to others at the end of the open house on June 13, 2023 at the Scarboro Community Center gym. The topic: Renovating the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool.
As one woman at the June 13 open house said, “We like our sacred cows; we like Big Ed’s Pizza and we love our pool.”

But the 79-year-old pool takes about 2.2 million gallons of water from the nearby spring to operate daily, and 110,000 gallons of that water is lost each day, perhaps going into the ground below the pool on Providence Road, according to engineer Cary Dennis and landscape architect Alisha Eley, with Kimley-Horn and Associates. The consulting company has been hired by city government at a cost of $55,200 to look at the 58,000-square-foot pool’s problems, get input from the public, and come up with three conceptual designs for a renovated pool and pool area to present to city officials and the public. Feedback from those designs can then be used to merge what people want into one design, they said.

Dennis said the pool has a problem with recirculation of the water, with only the water at the pool’s edges being treated with chlorine for health. That treated water does not get to the pool’s center. Jon Hetrick, city of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department director, said the city has a waiver from the Tennessee Department of Health to allow the pool to operate in this manner. He said that waiver could be pulled at any time and likely would be taken away by the state Health Department when major work begins on the pool. He said it is likely the pool will not be able to operate with water from the spring once redone.

The pool’s shell also has structural issues, he said, and it’s not known what lies below the pool if 110,000 gallons are being lost a day. Officials said more geotechnical work will be done to determine that after the pool closes at the end of this season. There are currently no plans to move the pool to another site.

Asked how much it would cost to rebuild the current pool if possible, Dennis estimated $20 million. The city has set aside $5 million so far for the pool work, which includes the money paid being paid to the consulting company. If a liner were put into the pool, that alone likely would cost $1 million, he said.

In addition to hearing the comments of the more than 100 people who attended the open house at the Scarboro Community Center, the engineers presented images of pools they’ve designed, and attendees used stickers provided when they walked in to register how they feel about aspects of the designs.

The images on which people “voted” yea or nay showed varying sizes and shapes of pools, sometimes with the pool area divided into larger and smaller pools, plus lazy rivers, splash pads, children’s aquatic playgrounds, rock climbing walls that could be permanent or detached from the pools, a movie screen, shaded areas, areas with lounge chairs partially submerged in water and enclosed slides similar to those found in water amusement parks.

One woman said Oak Ridge doesn’t want a pool like Dollywood’s Splash Country. A man suggested the consulting company was trying to sell those type of amenities, to which Dennis replied they weren’t trying to sell anything. He repeatedly told the audience that the images shown were simply examples of what could be at the pool, not that they were necessarily being considered.

Landscape architect Alisha Eley of the consulting company Kimley-Horn and Associates speaks at the open house on renovating the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool. Next to her is her co-worker, Cary Dennis, an engineer. The open house was held on June 13, 2023 at the Scarboro Community Center.
During the introduction to the open house, Interim City Manager Jack Suggs and Hetrick each said they knew the pool means a lot to residents and the new plan would need to strike a balance between maintaining the tradition and meeting the needs of the community.

A few people spoke in favor of some of the additional amenities in the photos. Some agreed it might attract more young families. A woman said she already takes children to a pool at Lenoir City and a water amusement park in Kentucky because they have those extra activities.

The size of the Oak Ridge pool and its 100-meter courses were touted as being unique − it’s one of the largest in the nation − and necessary for people using the pool for fitness and the Atomic City Aquatic Club. Others said the pool’s uniqueness brings in more people

Some offered suggestions.

Interim Oak Ridge City Manager Jack Suggs and Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department director, speak during the introductory part of the open house on Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool Renovations. The open house was held on June 13, 2023 at the Scarboro Community Center.
One young girl, an ACAC swimmer, said the pool is cold in the mornings when they practice and she’d like a heater to warm the water.

Images that show amenities and other things that can be added to the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool. The open house was held on June 13, 2023 at the Scarboro Community Center gym.
Gay Marie Logsdon, an Oak Ridge resident who is disabled because of an automobile accident, said she uses the pool because it has a graduated entrance. She said she couldn’t get into the pool using ladders, and asked that the consultants look at further improving disability access to the pool. As a former lifeguard, she said that having several pools and other aspects would make it difficult for lifeguards to keep their eyes on children’s safety, noting that the pool attracts many summer camps.

The pool was originally constructed in 1944 by the Corps of Engineers and underwent major renovation in 1992-93, reopening in summer 1994, according to Explore Oak Ridge, the city’s tourism arm. Depths range from zero to 13 1/2 feet. There are 25- and 100-meter courses.

Next on the schedule: The consulting company will set up a website to keep the public informed and an online survey will be done.