By EMMA BARTLETT

Cranston resident Gary Hafferty has fond memories of Budlong Pool. It was the place he learned to swim, hung out with friends during the summer and was the pool his two children eventually learned to swim in. As a kid, Hafferty lived down the street from the pool and would walk there and use the pool with the season passes his family had. After hearing that the pool might not open this year due to a recent feasibility study showing the pool and pool house are in need of costly repairs, Hafferty voiced his concerns to Councilman Robert Ferri.

“I was very disappointed,” said Hafferty, who mentioned that the pool brought people together and allowed kids to meet children from other Cranston schools. Not everyone has their own pool and it was a gathering place for the community.

Jason Boulay had a similar experience. Raised in Cranston, he grew up going to the pool. While Budlong Pool was closed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, Boulay’s family set up sprinklers for their children or visit the beach.

According to Chief of Staff Anthony Moretti, opening the pool this year “is not looking good” due to public safety concerns that were made apparent through a feasibility study conducted by Federal Hill Group, LLC, which was released April 22.

The pool campus is 22.41 acres and consists of an in-ground outdoor pool that is 84’ wide by 260’ long, a shower/locker facility, a stand-alone shed that houses pool filters, four baseball fields and two basketball courts. The pool was installed in the 1950s and is approximately 40 percent larger than an Olympic-sized pool; its depth goes from two feet to roughly 10 feet and contains over 900,000 gallons of water. The pool is one of the largest outdoor pools in the nation and costs $50,000 just to fill each year.

Over time, upgrades have been made to the pool such as installing drains, liners and removing a dive tower. According to the feasibility study, “the current pool has a full liner and is served by a sand filter fed by a perimeter gutter system that was retrofitted to the pool.”

The pool is facing performance issues that, according to the feasibility study, “are severe enough for the City to consider the pool is to the end of its serviceable life.” The report suggests the pool is either fast-approaching its end – or is already there.

One of the issues is that the pool is constantly losing water. The feasibility report estimated that water loss is 40 to 60 gallons per minute and, if the pool was in use, a hose would have to be in the pool and attached to the water supply at the pool house so the pool’s water level stays full. If water is constantly added, this would require additional chlorine/shock treatments to the pool to keep the biologic levels at an acceptable rate.

Cracks in the pool are also causing problems. When the water table is low in the summer and early fall, water leaks from the pool. In the winter and spring, the water table is elevated and ground water seeps into the pool through the cracks.

The Parks and Recreation Department commissioned the feasibility study “with the goal of examining the pool and the overall site to determine the best course of action with respect to maintaining the existing facilities.” The report included exploring the idea of modernizing and potentially introducing new facilities to the area.

While council members have received calls from constituents concerning the opening of Budlong Pool, Moretti said the administration has received some calls since the feasibility report came in and concern the pool’s legacy and the memories associated with it.

“There are so many people out there that just have an attachment to it because they used it when they were kids,” said Moretti.

Moretti said there is a structural and functional obsolescence of the pool in its current state.

“Based on those two criteria, the mayor believes that the best thing to do is invest in the pool and modernize the facility rather than doing patchwork where the deterioration will exceed the patchwork,” Moretti said.

Structural problems in the pool house

The pool house dates back to the 1940s and, according to the feasibility study, has a high probability of containing asbestos and lead due to its age. There is evidence of active leaks from the roof, and a roof drain that has been leaking for an extended period of time has saturated the structural slab separating the building’s two floors. According to the feasibility study, “the structural slab has spalled its lower layer of concrete and one can view the exposed rusted and deteriorated steel reinforcing bars.”

Furthermore, the building’s exterior chimney is sinking from subsidence of the soils, which has resulted in the chimney structure pulling away from the building’s exterior.

The feasibility study said, “the risk of collapse is so evident that at some point a bent steel brace was installed around the upper portion of the chimney and anchored into the surrounding stone in an attempt to prevent full collapse.”

The gap was filled with grout that is now cracked and loosened.

Councilwoman Aniece Germain toured the pool house last week with Parks and Recreation director Ray Tessaglia and was surprised by its condition.

“What I saw was negligence,” said Germain, who represents Ward 2 where Budlong Pool is located.

Germain said while people may think she’s pointing the finger, she’s pointing to the fact that someone should be held accountable since this problem did not occur overnight. While the pool was forced to close for the past two years due to Covid, it is questionable if those in charge knew the pool house had public safety risks but still kept the facility open. She said there needs to be a change in the culture of leaving the impression that everything is okay until it isn’t.

Germain has received emails from residents who want the pool open this summer.

“Unfortunately in this part of the city we do not have a lot to offer to our youth,” Germain said. “I want the pool to be open, but not in this condition.”

Germain said she is in favor of using some of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the pool which has been an asset for a long time and has always survived.

Updating equipment for compliance

According to the feasibility study, pool equipment must comply with the Title XIV Pool and Spa Safety Act and RI State Building Code. These rules cover the size and configurations of mechanicals under the surface of the water to prevent suction entrapment to swimmers. The pool mechanicals have not been updated to meet these requirements and present a potential hazard to swimmers.

The current pool house’s bathing facilities and bathrooms are not ADA accessible and the building does not have sprinklers which are part of the building code. Additionally, the sand filter is an older system and requires replacement of filtration media in order to keep the system operational.

What are the city’s options?

As of April 29, Moretti said the city’s grant writer submitted a grant request to the congressional delegation asking for $2.8 million in funds for Budlong Pool. While there is no specific date for the government to get back to them, Moretti said by past experience the city could hear back late this year at the earliest. Congressman Jim Langevin's office spearheaded the endeavor, with assistance from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Jack Reed.

Germain said she reached out to the city grant writer on October 9 asking her to search for a grant for Budlong Pool. Germain said she did not receive a reply and received a response on May 2 that she submitted a grant for $1 million.

The feasibility study developed three proposals  for the property. The first would be to maintain as much as possible and bring all the elements up to code and ensure all issues are rectified. The pool would be overhauled to correct all deficiencies and address structural failures. The cost for this would be between $2.5 and $2.8 million.

The second proposal focuses on removing the existing pool and providing the following: a 8,000 square foot wading pool that ranges from two to five feet deep; a splash pad; a children’s playground; outdoor fitness area for senior citizens; and the potential to install an enclosed dog park. The pool house would remain as is and upgraded/repaired so it is up to code. This project would cost $3.3 to $3.7 million.

The last suggestion the feasibility study included  was making all the improvements in the second proposal but demolishing the existing pool house and providing a stand-alone pool house/recreation facility. This project would cost between $3.9 and $4.4 million.

Moretti said the city would like to have Parkview Pool open this summer as an option on the table for folks who are interested.

If the city receives the grant, and if it's affordable to do, Tony said the practical approach would be downsizing the pool and being able to include additional facilities that residents could best benefit from – such as the splash pad and park.

Moretti said Hopkins would like to modernize the facility which would last generations rather than taking a bandaid approach to fixing the pool.

A copy of the feasibility study can be found on the city website.