Community Corner
Country Club Swimming Pool Ready For Summer 2011 As Costly Roof Repairs Continue
Ice rink roof repairs on schedule and will not interfere with Memorial Day pool reopening.
The freshly-painted swimming pool at the township-owned is set to reopen for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, marking the welcome start of summer 2011, even as an estimated $1 million project to repair the snow-damaged ice rink roof continues, according to township officials.
“The pool is ready to open. One of the things we are trying to do is to not have the work that is going on at the ice rink interfere with the pool. We are trying to get all of the exterior work done prior to the pool opening, and then they [contractors] can continue working inside and have the ice rink open for normal hockey season in September,” said Lee Fulton, Springfield township manager.
To the dismay of township hockey-fans, the ice rink was closed after sustaining major roof damage in 2010 caused by snow buildup following several powerful snowstorms.
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A lengthy impasse followed as township officials sought to negotiate with the insurance company and reach a settlement that included a long-term solution to replace the collapsed ice rink roof. Today, the destroyed roof has been removed, and the new roof components sit strewn about, as workers busily proceed with the reconstruction.
“The heavy snows we had in 2010 loaded up the roof and we had a failure of one of the roof supports and at that time we closed the ice rink for safety issues and filed an insurance claim. After about a year of negotiating with the insurance company [Travelers Insurance], we finally got the approval to make the repairs and they started about a month ago putting a whole new roof system in,” Fulton said.
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“The cost of the repairs is about $1 million and the 3-month project is proceeding on schedule. So, provided the weather holds out, and they can continue working inside, it [ice rink] will open for normal hockey season in September. So far, so good, we’re a little bit ahead of schedule.”
As for Springfield’s swimmers and splashers, the pool will open Memorial Day weekend and then only on weekends until school ends in mid-June, and a normal weekly schedule resumes.
“The pool has been painted and looks great and the maintenance has been completed, so things are looking pretty good. We’re ready,” Fulton said.
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