Palmer pool remains closed for repairs

PALMER — The Palmer Pool has been closed since March 23 and is expected to open up next week as a broken impeller on the main circulation pump means that the pool can not be heated. The missing part arrived Friday, Mar 30. Installation may continue to take another few days, and thus pool patrons are forced to stay dry or to visit the Wasilla pool.

The Palmer Pool has been open since 1982 and offers water aerobics classes, swimming lessons, free and lap swims, kids parties and school activities.

“It’s an old building. There are things that break down all the time,” said Tim Pickard, Palmer Pool Manager. “That’s why we need this renovation because we’ve been patching it together over the years, fixing this and that, and the circulation pump is the heart of the pool.”

The broken impeller had a leak coming out of the pump late on March 23 and had to shut down the pool for not circulating, disinfecting and heating the water. The pool is expected to reopen some time next week.

More than 450 swim students were displaced by the closure. Pickard said he had to postpone those classes until the pool could open back up. However, the competitive swim clubs that use the Palmer Pool have been forced to swim side-by-side with their rivals from across the Valley as the Northern Lights Swim Club and Sub Zero are now in the same water as the Wasilla Waves. Pickard said that the Wasilla pool sees greater attendance for free swims, but Palmer Pool, with more openings for lap swims, sees greater attendance there.

The Palmer pool is expected to have the contracting work for upgrades go out in 2019. The bond for the pools was approved in 2016. The same impeller broke more than five years ago, so pool staff are used to fixing these problems.

Upgrades to the pools will include a ramp at entry, competitive diving depths and swimming lanes, additional showers and dressing booths and a larger hot tub. Until the point when the pool undergoes its overhaul, they are making due with what they’ve got. The pool has extended its schedule and staff has made an effort to offer more opportunities for swimming, Pickard said. Pickard says his goal is to make sure that the Palmer Pool is up and running before the Wasilla Pool closes for its upgrades as result of the passed bond.

The delicate chemical balance of the pool that has been disrupted will need time to be fixed, Pickard said, so the Palmer Pool will likely be closed until after April 3.