Pāhoa Pool Work ‘on Schedule’

The Pāhoa Community Aquatic Center in Pāhoa. PC: County of Hawai‘i

Restoration work at the Pāhoa Community Aquatic Center that went out for bid in November 2018 is “on schedule,” County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Maurice Messina told Big Island Now on Jan. 3, 2019.

The work contract went to Royal Pools Hawaii.

According to Deputy Director Messina, the project is “moving along” and is scheduled to be completed on Jan. 31.

The project addresses two primary scopes—the complete removal of all “Pele’s hair” (fine threads of volcanic glass which are formed when a spray of lava droplets cools rapidly in the air) from the facility, and the repair of cracks in the main pool’s basin and deck area.

“As you can imagine, this is a very extensive cleaning process, and it took time for us to develop the scope of work to ensure that the contractor completes the restoration in accordance with best practices and county and state health standards,” said Roxcie Waltjen, director of Parks and Recreation.

This work is necessary as a result of the eruption and seismic activity that occurred in the lower East Rift Zone from May through August of last year.

The project includes, but is not limited to:

• Pressure washing and rinsing of all exterior surfaces of the buildings, the entirety of the pool deck, all deck-mounted equipment and flushing of all deck drain systems;
• Removal and replacement of all of the existing media in the pool’s filters for the main pool and the keiki pool;
• Draining and pressure washing of the main pool and keiki pool, flushing of the entire circulation system for both pools (drains, pipes and gutters);
• Sealing of cracks in the main pool basin and throughout the pool deck area; and
• Re-filling of both pools and treatment of the water to re-establish appropriate chemical levels for a public swimming pool facility. The water quality will be monitored continuously for a minimum period of seven consecutive days to ensure the complete removal of all Pele’s hair, and to ensure that the pool’s pH and chlorine levels have been properly established.

“The Puna community and our aquatic staff are eager to get back in the water,” said Director Waltjen.

“This is the first of many steps in restoring the entirety of our Pāhoa District Park’s facilities to public use, following their extended mobilization as a temporary evacuation center,” Waltjen said. “I want to thank the people of Puna for their understanding and continued support as we strive to return their recreational facilities back to full-time use.”