Keller ISD votes to spend $357K to replace natatorium filters
Keller Independent School District trustees approved spending $357,000 to replace the filters in the district’s natatorium at its meeting Thursday, June 11.
The district closed the indoor swimming facility at 1000 Bear Creek Parkway on May 12 due to safety concerns after the filtration system failed.
The vote took place after a long debate between trustees and the district about tabling the item until more research could be done on other options presented by trustee Chris Coker.
A young swimmer, Tait Floyd, addressed the trustees about how important it was to re-open the natatorium quickly. Floyd also previously spoke at a board meeting about how the closure would impact him and his fellow swimmers.
“As I’m sure you are aware, if the pool is not fixed by December, Lakeside Aquatics Club will cease to exist in the Keller area,” Floyd said emotionally. “That means nine years of my hard work will be destroyed. I will have nothing left. This is a huge part of my life, and I don’t want it gone.”
The long discussion about the natatorium boiled down to either repairing the filters or replacing them after years of “patch work.”
“My thought is based on the engineering reports, these are the people that are experts in the field,” said Board President John Birt. “We get new filters, and we’re done with it. We don’t have to worry about filters again.”
The natatorium was built in 2003, with a pool that is 186 feet long and 75 feet wide.
The district said it expects that the natatorium will be opened back up for use in around three to four months, roughly around the end of September or beginning of October.
In the meantime, swimmers will continue to use HOA pools and other area schools’ pools.
Keller ISD previously passed a $2.1M budget amendment to replace the failed filtration and Dectron systems after the natatorium closed for safety.
The Dectron was not part of the agenda discussion about the filtration system on Thursday.
“Once those recommendations are received, the plan is for the purchase authorization for that equipment to be added to the June 25 Special Board Meeting agenda,” an update on Keller ISD’s Facebook page read on June 4. “The district does not anticipate this delaying the reopening of the Natatorium, as that date will be determined by the installation of the new pool filters.”