Lewiston staff seek funding to repair Burt Lips and Orchards pools after leak tests; council asks for formal cost proposals

Justin Glenn, Lewiston's facilities, parks and recreation director, told the Lewiston City Council on Nov. 3 that inspections and a 10-day evaporation/leakage monitoring test showed significant water loss and safety issues at Orchards Pool and maintenance and infrastructure problems at Burt Lips. Glenn said the team contracted WMS Aquatics for validation, conducted pressure testing and identified specific repair needs.

At Orchards Pool staff measured what Glenn described as "we were losing about 5 inches of water per day at Orchards Pool," and traced the primary leak to a separated expansion joint near the center of the pool. Glenn said the joint separation and related deck heaving created both water loss and potential safety hazards for patrons. Glenn reported the expansion-joint repair and related deck fixes would be about $14,000, and additional miscellaneous pipe and pump repairs would add to the cost.

At Burt Lips Pool staff pressure tested the surge tank and main plumbing and found those elements generally sound; but Glenn said upstream irrigation pipes and corroded deck drains were leaking into the pool structure and contributing to water loss and corrosion. Glenn presented a contractor's estimate of roughly $372,000 to restore Burt Lips to full operation, which included a new liner (the estimate also covered the toddler wading pool), deck repairs, pool-house renovation and miscellaneous exterior work. Glenn noted that the council had previously approved $195,000 for a pool liner but that that allocation had not been executed; he said applying that prior allocation would reduce the city's net new funding need.

Councilors asked about timing and operating costs. Glenn said that, if promptly authorized and scheduled, staff believed Orchards could be repaired and open for the 2026 season and that Burt Lips could be a longer timeline. Staff estimated operating costs for a pool season around $100,000 (lifeguard staffing, chemicals and routine season expenses). Councilors instructed Glenn to gather precise contractor quotes and a funding plan and return with a single combined proposal for council consideration rather than taking immediate action at the work session.

Next steps: staff will collect firm bids, identify funding sources (the director suggested the unassigned building fund as one possibility), account for the previously approved $195,000 liner allocation, and return to the council with a recommendation and proposed appropriation. Councilors emphasized life-safety priorities and asked staff to prioritize repairs that address safety risks first.