The position of the Rosemary Recreation Complex lap pool, which borders Rosemary Lake, proved challenging for cleanup efforts after a broken jar of salsa sent glass shards into the pool and prompted a multiday shutdown on July 14. Although the pool has reopened, Needham Park & Recreation still faces obstacles to ensure this costly mishap does not happen again.
The pool reopened after three days of cleanup that included draining the 230,000 gallons of pool water into the town’s sewage system, vacuuming and power washing the basin, refilling the pool with water and the proper chemicals and retesting for bacteria.
Draining a pool of this volume, which shares a wall with the lake, can be a tricky and costly process, said Stacey Mulroy, director of Park & Recreation.
“Because of the pressure of the water from the lake, we have to be very careful when draining the pool,” she said. “We also had to keep an eye on the lake to make sure that the pressure was equalized. If we drain it too quickly, the pressure on the outside of the pool shell can actually cause it to crack.” In the worst case scenario, the structure could have collapsed under the pressure.
Hydrostatic valves installed in the pool’s drains are designed to equalize the pressure. These valves, which exist in most commercial pools, allow groundwater — or in this case, lakewater — around the pool to flow into and out of the pool’s drainage system, relieving pressure on the pool’s pipes.
“Those valves are very temperamental,” said Mulroy, adding the pool had not been completely drained since it was constructed in 2019.
Town employees were able to drain the 4,300-square-foot pool to a point before its pool contractors, Weston & Sampson, came to monitor the hydrostatic valves and water pressure. According to the firm’s website, “The pools sit almost level with Rosemary Lake and were installed with ballast slabs and helical piles to prevent hydraulic uplift.”
Bringing in experts from Weston & Sampson, whom the town consults on a range of engineering issues, ensured the draining process went smoothly. But it also added to the town’s bill, which Mulroy said remains to be finalized. The cost breakdown will include Weston & Sampson’s time, Department of Public Works and Park & Recreation staff hours, material costs for hoses, pumps, power washers and chemicals, supplies such as updated pool signage, and the cost of renting alternative practice sites for the Needham Sharks Swim Team.
The price tag would have been bigger had the pool shell buckled, said Mulroy. “If that had happened, we’d have to close for the rest of the season, and it would have been a significant amount of money.”
She said the cost is currently slated to be covered by the pool’s repair budget, but it could have ramifications for next season’s opening. “To date, we haven’t reached out to secure excess funding. That being said, we may have to find other funding for the day-to-day basics for the beginning of next season.”
The current budget for the pool has to last through July 1, 2025, when the next fiscal year begins, but the pool opens each season at the start of June.
“If we have wiped out that budget to date, we’d have to find a different funding source, or move things around so that we can appropriately and safely open the pool,” said Mulroy. The town will know more when final numbers come in.
Despite updated signage reminding guests glass is not allowed in the pool area, woes continue for the department and for pool-goers hoping to enjoy an open and safe pool. A Park & Recreation Facebook post three days after the pool reopened showed an image of an empty glass bottle — this time intact — on the pool deck. Mulroy and her staff also have had to ask about half a dozen guests to leave after being found with glass since the incident.
Mulroy said staff do not plan to check bags, but they may need to reconsider if people continue to ignore the rule. “For now, we are just asking people to please keep their glass at home.”
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