TECUMSEH — Equipment failure at the Tecumseh Community Memorial Pool had forced its closure for the next few months.
“The pool’s dehumidification and ventilation systems, which date back to the original equipment installed in 1989, have broken down and are now beyond repair,” Tecumseh Public Schools Superintendent Matt Hilton said in a letter to the community posted on the district’s Facebook page. “According to the assessment from JRED mechanical engineers, further repairs are neither recommended nor cost-effective, and the pool cannot safely operate without properly functioning ventilation systems.”
Hilton said the pool would be closed from Monday, April 7, until mid-August.
The Tecumseh school district owns and operates the 35-year-old indoor pool, which is attached to Tecumseh Middle School. Corrosion of the building’s steel roof structure led the district to establish a sinking fund to pay for repairs to the building and other projects throughout the district. Voters approved the millage for the sinking fund this past November.
The district closed the pool for about two months in the fall of 2023 after an initial inspection of the roof, which was done to see if it could hold the weight of new dehumidification equipment, showed the corrosion on the roof structure. A closer inspection showed the corrosion was not as bad as initially thought and that December engineers told the district it could reopen the pool but recommended starting to make repairs in the next one to two years.
In February, the district hired engineering and architecture firms to guide the sinking fund projects, including the pool building repairs. At the time, district operatipns director Joshua Mattison told the school board it would take three to six months to get schematic drawings, request bids and get board approval for the work.
In his letter, Hilton said the closure is part of the district’s pool renovation strategy. He said the work that led to the closure was planned to be part of the overall pool building rehabilitation and is being accelerated so that the pool can reopen for the 2025-26 school year.
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The district still expects to close the pool again in the spring of 2026 for the roof replacement.
“By addressing the mechanical systems now, we can maintain pool operations between September 2025 and spring 2026, maximizing availability to our community and honoring our school swim seasons,” Hilton said.
“This phased approach will not increase costs, as we are simply adjusting the timeline of the already-planned renovations,” Hilton said.
The pool building work is expected to cost about $2.5 million, and the district expected to start work after tax revenue from the sinking fund millage starts to come in around October 2025. The district had planned to do the work in three phases, with Phase 1 involving work on the ceiling and interior parts of the roof and taking about 12 weeks to complete, probably over the spring and summer of 2026. Phases 2 and 3, which involve replacing the steel decking of the roof and other projects, are expected to be done together and take an additional six months to complete.
Effects and updates
“We recognize this closure affects various programs, including community swim lessons, open swim hours, Tigersharks, and aquatic exercise classes,” Hilton said. “Refunds for any pre-registered classes will be sent out. Annual passes will be extended for the time we are closed for this repair. We are exploring options for temporary alternatives where possible and will communicate these as they are confirmed.”
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Regular updates will be provided during the closure, Hilton said.
“We will share progress reports, any changes to the timeline, and reopening information through the district website, email communications, and social media channels,” he said.
“We understand this closure may cause inconvenience for many in our community who regularly use this facility,” he said. “However, by addressing these critical systems now, we can ensure the long-term viability of our pool facility while minimizing overall disruption in the coming years.”
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh pool closes for spring and summer due to equipment failure
Reporting by David Panian, The Daily Telegram / The Daily Telegram
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