Pool Repair Cost Questioned By Manchester Aldermen

Pool repair concerns and Sept. 11 plans were discussed at Monday night's Manchester Board of Aldermen meeting.

Pool Repairs Concerns

A nearly $85,000 increase in the cost of city pool repairs has some aldermen asking why they weren't told of the enlarged project.

Board members Hal Roth and Marilyn Ottenad voiced concerns to City Administrator Ed Blattner about board members not being updated on the increase in cost for repairs to Manchester Aquatic Center's pool.

Roth said the cost came in approximately $85,000 more than what the board had initially planned to spend on pool repairs. Ottenad and Roth both asked why board members were not notified that the engineering firm Kuhlmann Design Group was given the OK to go ahead with developing a larger project with the additional cost.

Ottenad said the first time she heard of the nearly $85,000 price increase for the project was when a representative for Kuhlmann presented the updated and enlarged project to the board at the beginning of July.

"We were never told. Somebody should have reached out to us," Ottenad said. She said board members should have been aware there was more work than expected that needed to be done.

"There is a board here for a reason and what was done here was wrong," she said.

"We have policies in place to avoid that. Why didn't we follow that?" Roth asked. "Maybe we needed the repair, maybe it costs that much but how did it get this far?"

The pool's piping system is leaking and in need of repair. Ottenad said board members were told if they held off on the overhaul of the system until the next year, the project would likely cost the city $50,000-$100,000 less than if the the major project was completed this year. Ottenad said that update was the last board members heard, until Kuhlmann came back to the board with the larger scope project that cost more money.

Alderman Mike Clement agrees that board members should have been notified of the change in the project, but told Patch the bottom line is that it needs to get done.

"Yes, we should have been informed, but we did as a board decide to make the repairs," Alderman Michael Clement told Patch. "If we're going to get in there and do this, we need to do it right."

Blattner asked board members to wait and see what bids came back to the city for the project and then go from there.

"We won't know the impact until the bids come in on Aug. 23," Ottenad told Patch. "So at the next meeting we will know if it's more expensive or the same, but in the end, I don't think we will save money because it (the pool repair project) has been enlarged.

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Sept. 11 Ceremony

Chief Tim Walsh addressed the board about city plans for the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Walsh and the board of aldermen decided on holding a ceremony at the Manchester Homecoming Celebration on the evening of Sept. 10. They all agreed there will be a larger crowd at the event on Saturday, Sept. 10 than on Sunday, Sept. 11.

Alderman Michael Clement said the city should hold some sort of recognition on the actual 10-year anniversary. He suggested a wreath laying ceremony at the Manchester Veterans Memorial Sunday morning to recognize the anniversary.

"Just something simple at that point in time that we need to be thinking about what happened on that day," Clement said.

Other Business:

The board enacted emergency legislation to vote to retain the law firm Hinshaw and Culbertson as special council to represent the city in a lawsuit filed by former Manchester Police Record Clerk Jessica Adams. City Attorney Patrick Gunn said Adams is suing the city over overtime compensation.

Board members met the new the city's new Assistant Code Enforcement Officer Gray Tetley. The new hire came after board members discussed the need for the extra code enforcement.