The end of the pool season will be here before we know it, and many parks and recreation professionals are already planning for winterization procedures. Winterizing your aquatic facility is important in order to properly maintain the quality, and extend the life of the facility. However, regardless of how well you take care of your facility, problems can still arise due to a number of issues. For example, pipes can unexpectedly break, filters can need replacement, concrete cracking, and poor construction or design techniques can cause structure and maintenance complications over time. Using a band-aid approach to temporarily mask these issues may seem like an adequate solution at first, but this method may lead to more detrimental, expensive problems in the future.
If your are experiencing any operational problems with your aquatic facility, would like to consider additions/improvements, or make sure you are up to city/state code, it may be wise to consider a comprehensive facility evaluation. It is extremely important that you research your options and company history/background before hiring a consultant. It is essential to hire an experienced engineer that specializes in aquatics. After compiling a list of aquatic consultants, we recommend checking as many references as you can. A long list of excellent references is the best reflection of a firm’s quality and service. When exploring different options, you should be project-specific in evaluating their experience. Make sure the firms you consider have previous evaluation and renovation experience. Many of our competitors neglect to consider renovation options when evaluating a facility, rather all too often recommend a “new-build”. A proper facility evaluation could reveal areas of the facility that could be salvaged, allotting more of the project budget toward including additional aquatic play features.
The scope of our evaluation services will be determined through an initial meeting with city representatives. Like all of our services, they are tailored to your facility and your goals. Typically, during our assessment of a facility we review the following:
- Recirculation system
- Filtration system
- Chemical system
- Heating system
- Safety concerns of the pool, deck, and bathhouse
- ADA and code issues
- Electrical bonding
- Visible structural concerns
- Concrete condition
- Water loss
- Bathhouse condition
During the visit to your facility we document risk concerns, code issues, and operational problems with the pool, deck, and bathhouse/filter building. We take detailed notes, measurements, and pictures to document all findings. After our evaluation, we compare renovation alternatives with replacement to give you a complete perspective for making planning decisions. Additionally, following our analysis, we prepare an assessment report that outlines our findings. The report will also include recommended improvements to resolve the concerns identified in the final report. Cost estimates for these improvements will also be outlined.