Bluffton indoor pool closed after inspection shows roof might collapse. What we know
Beaufort County has closed its public swimming pool in Old Town Bluffton because of fears the roof could cave in.
Potential structural deterioration of the roof on the building at 55 Prichard St. makes it a risk in high winds or heavy rainfall, according to a news release from the county issued Wednesday.
George Moreno, a coach for the Bluffton Fins swim team that practices at the pool alongside Bluffton High School swimmers, expressed concerns in August over the pool’s condition. At the time, he said corrosion from the ceiling was falling into the pool and that there was no air conditioning, making the temperature stifling at times.
The struggles that his team has faced in terms of renting the pool have been “disheartening” because it is the only pool in the area where his team can practice, Moreno told a reporter for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette at the time.
“A lot of the kids found their identity in swim,” Moreno said. “A lot of the kids came back (after COVID-19) with a lost identity.”
The news release said the county was notified Tuesday about structural problems at the pool and that a second detailed assessment will be conducted to determine the extent of the damage. The assessment was done as part of a master plan to update all four county pools, Beaufort County spokesperson Chris Ophardt said.
“There had been corrosion that we had identified, but it was still within safety regulations and where it was didn’t make it structurally deficient,” Ophardt said. “Up to that point, it hadn’t been in a location that deemed it unsafe.”
Ophardt estimated the pool was 30 years old and said the county did not know the corrosion had gone “that far, that quickly.”
Officials are currently looking into climate control and salt water pools to offset corrosion.
Everything, he said, is “on the table,” Ophardt said.
The county is working with the school district to find solutions for swim teams and is also looking into temporary jobs for lifeguards nearby because many of them are high schoolers who may not be able to drive far for work. Any plans are on hold until the next assessment.
Meanwhile , the county has added extra hours at the Battery Creek indoor pool on 1 Blue Dolphin Drive in Beaufort. It also operates an indoor pool on Youmans Drive on Lady’s Island and the Charles Lind Brown outdoor pool, which is closed, on Greene Street in Beaufort.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 3:30 PM.
