Repairs, upgrades expected to take place in six weeks

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The Kokomo Family YMCA is a cornerstone of downtown, and its Aquatics Center is one of its best attractions. Thousands of local residents have enjoyed programming and free time in the swimming pool for the past nine years.

Unfortunately, the pool and its systems have degraded gradually over time, and this week YMCA chief executive officer Trish Severns sent a letter to the organization’s members, informing them that the pool must be completely overhauled and will be closed for extensive repairs.

“Our pool systems have been challenging for some time now,” wrote Severns. “We have been diligently working on solutions and are committed to providing you with the best facilities possible … Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to maintain our systems until the overhaul could take place, we continued to experience ongoing issues with our pool motors and the dehumidification system. Because of this, we will need to close our pools sooner than anticipated.”

Severns explained that the YMCA board of directors had decided earlier this year to invest in overhauling the pool in light of its mounting problems. Those investments were expected to take place in the fall, but repeated equipment failures forced an early closure of the facility.

Changes to the Aquatics Center that need to be made during the overhaul include installing a new dehumidification system, resurfacing the bottom of both pools, performing necessary maintenance such as stripping and sealing the pool deck, painting, and deep cleaning all of the locker rooms, Severns disclosed.

Fortunately, the repairs may be completed relatively quickly. The necessary components and systems are already ordered, and Severns estimated their arrival and installation within six weeks.

“We understand this may cause some inconvenience, but we are confident these improvements will greatly enhance your experience at our facility,” said Severns. “In the meantime, we have contacted surrounding YMCAs, and they are happy to welcome our swimmers during our downtime.”

The cost of the repairs was not disclosed by Severns in the letter.