Submitted Photo The Gowanda Board of Education decided at a recent meeting that reinvesting in the district pool is a worthy investment.

GOWANDA — The Gowanda Board of Education has decided that the District’s pool is worth saving.

Despite significant issues uncovered during an emergency repair project, the Board is moving forward with plans to replace the failed HVAC unit and tiles that led to substantial leaks when refilling the pool earlier this year. The District consulted with Young and Wright Architectural, who oversaw the emergency repair project with the help of Buffalo Construction Consultants.

The Board was given several options to pick from, ranging from $1.2 million to $1.8 million to address the space. The District could have opted to repurpose the space, but the cost to do so was not expected to be significantly cheaper than repairing the issues as they stand.

Filling the pool with foam material and providing a concrete deck would cost approximately $252,000. Accounting for $250 to $300 per square foot of reprogramming costs, the cost to repurpose the pool varies between $1.35 million to $1.62 million, on top of the $252,000 to fill the pool. While pool maintenance costs would be eliminated, the savings were not significant enough to convince the Board that a pool was not worth the cost of saving.

Board President Max Graham expressed that the benefits of having a pool outweigh additional office or storage space because the cost is substantial either way.

“My preference would be let’s get the pool back up and running,” Graham said. “… When you’re looking at the cost, it’s going to be about the same to have a pool or not have the pool and do something else with it. Why wouldn’t you have the pool?”

The pool as it stands is not an adequate size to host competitions. However, instruction, recreational use, and practices for swimmers all could be held at the District if the pool is repaired.

Expanding the pool’s footprint to bring it to competition size was described as “really hard” to do. Relocation costs of the areas to expand into increase the cost of a potential project substantially. The District also evaluated moving the pool to a different location in the building, but that was deemed too costly.

Graham pushed back against the notion that the pool is not worth the cost because it cannot host competitions in its current footprint. He referenced the benefits for physical education classes to include swimming in its curriculum.

The Board discussed ways to receive public input, including a town hall forum or a survey. They also discussed the options with student representative Molly Bowers, who spoke in favor of recreational use of the pool for the community, rather than just as part of curriculum.

In terms of funding a potential pool project, voters would need to approve any use of capital reserve funds. The District maintains fund balances that were recently cited by the State Comptroller’s Office as being excessive.

Graham stated that putting it out for a vote seeking approval from taxpayers could satisfy the Board’s desire to ask for public input. “If the public votes it down, then there’s your answer,” he said.

Of the five potential options – labeled 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and C, representing a repurposed space – the cheapest option is to replace the mechanical system with a passive alternative and install a pool membrane without completely replacing the tiles. Going without a tile replacement would have a total project cost of approximately $1.2 million, with an estimated lifespan of 10 years. Replacing the tiles entirely increases the cost of the project to approximately $1.7 million in total, while the lifespan is estimated at 25 years. Repurposing the space will likely cost between $1.6 million to $1.8 million.

Board member Mark Nephew expressed support for a long-term solution to repair the current pool. Graham agreed that if the District is making a substantial investment to repair the pool, they should get the most sustainable fix.

After discussion, the Board decided by a vote of 6-1 to pursue an HVAC unit replacement and a complete tile replacement to repair the existing pool in its current footprint. The estimated cost is approximately $1.7 million, dependent on a bid process. Voters will likely have the final say through a proposition for funding approval at a later date.

The next meeting of the Gowanda Board of Education is Wednesday, Feb. 12.