Keller ISD trustees approved a $2.1 million budget amendment to move money into the general fund for repairs to the district's natatorium, which was closed indefinitely May 12.
The overview
The natatorium closed due to water filtration failures, deputy superintendent John Allison said at a May 14 KISD board meeting. With the recent filter failure, the pool’s filtration system cannot safely circulate the water, he said.
The district intends to buy new water filters at a cost of about $500,000 and a dehumidifier for about $1.6 million. The dehumidifier removes moisture and chlorine from the air and protects the building's HVAC system from chlorine, which is a corrosive chemical, Allison said.
“All the air moves through the [dehumidifier] before it moves through the other air handlers. If you don’t do that, you’re pulling chlorinated air in and you’re corroding your entire HVAC system,” Allison said.
Looking ahead
Allison said the next trustee meeting June 9 will include bids from vendors, and trustees could approve specific purchases for the filters and dehumidifier. After purchase approval, Allison said the new filters will take between 2-3 months to arrive, and installation will take between 10-14 days.
“Filters for commercial pools are made to order,” Allison said.
Superintendent Cory Wilson said district staff are working with other organizations to find alternate pool space for the district’s swimmers to use over the summer, including the city of Keller.
Keller Mayor Armin Mizani announced in a social media post that city leaders directed staff at the Keller Pointe recreation center to host the natatorium’s swim lessons and accommodate the natatorium’s lap swimmers.
Keller City Council will meet in a special session on May 22 to further discuss the natatorium, Mizani said in the post.
Some background
The natatorium houses a 186-foot-long pool and hosts several aquatic activities, including swim and dive practices, swim lessons and adult lap swim.
