Cape May Awards Contract to Fix School Pool

CAPE MAY – With the award of a contract to W.J. Gross, Inc at the Feb. 21 City Council meeting, the swimming pool at Cape May Elementary School moved closer to renovation.  
The pool closed in September 2013 when major leaks were discovered in the piping that drains and circulates water. The location of the pipes underneath and under the sides of the pool made easy repairs impossible.
The pool, a rarity in a grade school, was part of the original construction of the school 50 years ago. 
In September 2014, the city bonded $1 million to be used to replace the pool. The funds were a loan to the school district which would establish a repayment schedule probably lasting at least 10 years.
The school pool serves as a resource for the entire Cape May community. Residents used it regularly, city recreational programs were organized around it, and it was a focal point for swimming education for the students.
Previous Mayor Edward Mahaney lauded the pool as a vital community resource, noting that the city could move faster and cheaper regarding financing a project to renovate or replace the pool.
The plans in the fall of 2014 called for bids to be opened in January 2015 and work completed by July 2015.
The aquatic engineering firm employed by the city estimated the work at $900,000, well within the city’s planned bond funds.
In the end, the optimism was misplaced. Further review showed the need for more work and more money.
A project to renovate the pool and the antiquated locker rooms was again formulated as the estimates for the work rose. In March 2016, the city increased the funds for the project by a second million dollars.
At that council meeting, Mahaney called the pool “invaluable to the city.”
The added funds would still be part of a loan to the school district. In response to questions from ex-mayor Jerry Gaffney at the council meeting, Mahaney said the city did not expect to spend the whole $2 million.
This month’s winning bid was for $1.66 million. That amount is for construction and does not include funds already allocated for engineering oversight by the city’s engineering firm or the design work by HMM architects.
While the city will not approach the full $2 million ceiling on the project, the amount involved is ample demonstration of the city’s commitment to the pool as a communitywide resource.
At the council meeting, Mahaney said the pool is “essential to the educational curriculum.” Referring to the fact that the school’s children live in an environment surrounded by water and that the Coast Guard children will always find themselves in such an environment, Mahaney said it is “critical that these children learn to swim.”
Mahaney added that the pool constitutes “a major component of our recreational programs.” He added that the pool’s closing made apparent to everyone “how crucial it was for them.”
With the design complete and the construction contract awarded, this time both residents and students can look forward to a reopening of a new pool some three years after the old one closed.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.