The Family YMCA of Marietta, Ohio, has announced the closure of its pool due to maintenance issues, including outdated pipes and a crack in the pool wall.
Chief volunteer officer and chairman of the board Rick Smith told the Marietta Times, “The last couple of weeks there has been one maintenance issue after another and the board has decided it is in the best financial interest of the business to close the pool.”
Smith added that the facility is aging and has been a topic of discussion for a while. “The building is old, and the pool is old,” he said. “And yes, the building is for sale and our intent has been for a while to transition to a new location.”
Unfortunately, none of the new locations under consideration would be able to accommodate the volume of aquatics offerings previously offered by the YMCA.
Programs affected by the facility’s closure include therapeutic swim, child swim lessons, water aerobics, open swim, and the youth and high school competition swim team practices. Many of these groups are attempting to work in with already existing schedules at neighboring facilities.
Local high school head swim coach Ryan Zundell told the Times, “Indoor pools are scarce in our area, and getting in pool time around others’ programming is a challenge. Long-term, we hope that we still do have a team.”
As of the announcement Wednesday, the pool will be closed indefinitely.
