COLUMBUS — The community pool in Columbus will remain closed for the summer after several leaks raised safety concerns over the past few years.
Columbus Mayor Joe Morse said the leaks had been an ongoing problem that was too much to overcome this year. The lack of water was creating worries about the cleaning chemicals, he said.
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"Basically, we've been losing water with leaks, various leaks, for the last several years," Morse said. "We haven't been able to fill the pool, and that was the big concern going forward is, if we did just keep pumping water into it, could we get it safe for the kids and everything?"
For longtime residents like Grace Moore and Danika Dexter, the closure is sad, especially for the children who won't have access to the pool this summer.
"They don't get the same experience that we did growing up," Moore said Tuesday afternoon. "I think that makes a lot of kids stay inside, where our entire lives were outside. That's where we spent all of our time."
Both Dexter, 17, and Moore, 17, said that the closure was surprising, given the fact that neither could recall it happening before.
"We had summers where it got pushed back later because there was problems with it, but they've opened it for a little while every year," Moore said.
"Every summer, at least they had a few weeks where it was open," Dexter said.
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Dexter and Moore said they have fond memories of spending time at the pool growing up, which is a sentiment also shared by the mayor.
"I know my kids have been there for years, and my grandkids are getting ready to go there," Morse said. "The pool is kind of the highlight of the community for the kids in the summer."
Despite the closure, there is reason for optimism. The city has already been approved for a 50/50 Land and Water Conservation Fund Recreation Grant to help fix the pool's problems, which Morse expects to cost $600,000.
Morse said the original plan was to make those repairs in the fall of 2026, but with the facility closed this season, he's hoping to accelerate the process.
"With us not being able to open the pool, we're going to try and speed that up," Morse said. "Hopefully, we can get it to a point where it's a good and safe place again."
Moore and Dexter said they are hoping that it can be around for years to come.
"It would be good for, especially the younger kids," Moore said.
