$15 to 20 Million Needed For Public Pool Renovations In Florida

A report released the week of November 14 says that the 13 public pools in Tampa, Fla., need 15 to 20 million dollars in repairs and upgrades. The pools were assessed by Holmes Hepner & Associates who reported that all of the pools need at least some work in order to comply with the updated building and public health codes in Florida.

The city’s parks and recreation director, Karen Palus, told council members that there is only $6.5 million available for repairs out of community investment taxes over the next five years. She is hoping the study produced by Holmes Hepner  & Associates will help them “make good decisions” about what to fix first.

Out of the 13 pools in Tampa, only nine remain open. The Roy Jenkins Pool, Williams Park Pool, Angus Goss Pool and Cuscaden Pool are all closed due to inadequacies.

The city’s first repair focus will be on the Williams Park Pool. They are expected to have $1.2 million to put towards repairs for that pool as early as January 2012.

The Roy Jenkins Pool is also expected to receive attention early on, with $1.1 million from the city and possibly $500,000 coming from the Davis Islands Improvement Fund.

Cyrus Greene Pool, Loretta Ingraham Pool, Sulphur Springs Pool, Spicola Family Pool at DeSoto Park and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex Pool are in the best condition of all the city pools. These were all built after 2000 and need minimal attention in the renovations that will take place, according to the Holmes Hepner and Associates’ report.