If rain, rain goes away, pool will open on time

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

BROWN

Officials are making room for the possibility of a late opening for Gilley Pool but said Friday they still plan to open on time, save any more major rain delays.

Several construction review meetings were held following the recent heavy rains and flooding — which was something contractors had worried about when asked about progress earlier this month.

Parks and Recreation Director Carlene Brown said earlier this week those rains did affect construction, but was hopeful for a good outcome.

“With good weather, they will open. If we have several days of bad weather, it can’t happen,” she said. “Everything is now dependent upon weather. But with a good weather schedule, it can easily be accomplished.”

Brown said officials still plan to open the pool this Saturday at 10 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for 9:45 a.m., except if it rains much more.

“If it rains Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – if we have a wash out – it won’t make it,” she said. An advertisement announcing the pool’s opening on page 7-A also says in small print at the bottom that inclement weather could delay the opening.

Brown said last week’s storms brought rain water into the pool, but the main problem was the rain tested construction workers’ ability to work.

“One of the biggest things that the storms did was put 10 inches of rain water into the pool and the filtration systems were not up and running yet and that takes a lot of time to make that correction,” she said. “But they just couldn’t work because of the rain. They didn’t get to the outside pavilions. They didn’t get to finish their tile work in the zero entry and the perimeter tile work with depth markers in it. It really hurt us,” she added.