INVESTIGATION: Providence Pool Closings Allegedly Tied to Mismanagement

INVESTIGATION: Providence Pool Closings Allegedly Tied to Mismanagement

Questions about the City of Providence's recent sudden closure of its five public pools -- during a heat wave -- have been raised by some who are asking for full disclosure as to why the decision was made, and not made public by the Elorza administration until now. 

GoLocal was first to report the story on Wednesday, and multiple sources reached out with their perspective on the development. 

"I've been told that the real reason [the pools closed] is that the city used cheap paint when they had to do some [maintenance] at the beginning at the summer," said Davian Sanchez, the former City Councilman who helped lead the effort to reopen the Davey Lopes pool after it closed in 2013 amidst allegations of political retribution.  "I was told the city used paint that they weren't supposed to, and if that's the case, someone should be punished."

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Providence resident Lisa Scorpio, whose son had been working at the Davey Lopes pool this summer, said that he showed up to work, only to find the pool gates locked. 

"I think a lot of people want to know the real reason why this happened," said Scorpio.  "Are they somehow saving money by not paying these kids this week? Don't forget, Davey Lopes was just re-done last year -- why was it lumped in with all the other [pool closures], if the water issues were elsewhere?  It's ridiculous.  There's so many bad things happening right now.  It's not just the little kids who need the pools, what about the teens who had jobs cut short?"

Pool Companies on Materials

On Wednesday, Deborah Schimberg, chairwoman of the Providence Pools Commission, which was formed in the wake of the closure -- and reopening -- of Davey Lopes pool, spoke with GoLocal about the circumstances that led up the closure of the pools. 

"There's just been so much neglect -- thankfully it didn't happen in July," said Schimberg. "They were supposed to be open this week. They have to be safe, and they have to be not putting swimmers at risk."

Schimberg noted that the Department of Health had been on hand to inspect the pool at Neutaconkanut --- which DOH addressed on Wednesday.  

"The inspection on August 12 was part of RI DOH’s annual inspections," said DOH Spokesperson Christina Batastini.  "During this inspection, the pool water was cloudy.   Samples of the water were taken.  As a result of the pool cloudiness, the pool was voluntarily closed until sample analysis could be returned."

DOH could not confirm Wednesday the results of the investigation, however the city said it was due to "calcium scale" buildup. 

"City pools have been closed due to a buildup of calcium scale that was first observed following heavy rains last week. Over time, calcium scale can make water appear cloudy and impede visibility," said Elorza spokesperson Evan England. 

Pool company professionals weighed in on their experience with abnormal pool water issues.  

"Usually, calcium will not make the water cloudy," said Paula Vital, one of the owners of Aquidneck Pool in Portsmouth.  "Cloudy water usually comes from pH issues, or chlorine being too low or high.  Calcium issues usually means the finish gets rough and prickly.  You can do acid washes to soften it up, but it's time consuming -- and if it's a pool that's been painted, you have to be careful about what's used."

Steve D'Andrea with Lakeswide Swimming spoke to issues that around paint selection.

"I think it's a good idea [the city] being proactive, and erring on the side of caution," said D'Andrea.  "Cloudiness issues aside, it could be a number of things, and calcium scale could still very will be plausible for the closures."

"We don't do cement pools, so what you use for paint is up to your own philosophy," said D'Andrea.  "You can use VOCs, or epoxy -- I would probably go with an epoxy based paint, it's all how it holds up against the pool's structure, and with the water."

England said that the city was looking into why the calcium issue could have arisen.

"Pools are painted by the city. There are a number of factors that could have led to increased calcium levels and we are exploring them," said England.