Repaired Shelton High pool reopens for students

The Shelton High School swimming pool reopened Monday to students after cracks in the plaster walls were repaired.

The state Department of Health on Friday certified the pool's safety said Jeff Slakey, the Shelton School District's interim communications specialist. The pool reopened in time for the girls swim team to host a meet Tuesday.

When the water was drained from the pool this summer, district employees noticed cracks in the plaster on the walls of the pool, Slakey said. The contractor that performed work on the pool was called back to repair the cracks and reseal it with a protective barrier, he said.

A more permanent seal will be placed on the pool next summer, Slakey said.

The repairs didn't cost the district any money, he said.

The district will announce the date the pool will reopen to the public, Slakey said. Lifeguards from the nearby Shelton YMCA will watch over the public use of the pool as part of a memorandum of understanding with the district, he said.

The pool has been closed to the public since March 2020, first for construction, and then due to the COVID pandemic.

Student athletes began using the pool after the state and WIAA opened up competition.

The school district was reviewing plans to open it to the public entering the summer when the construction defects were discovered, Slakey said.

At the Shelton School Board meeting Sept. 13, Superintendent Wyeth Jessee gave an update on the repairs and called the pool "a real important piece of our community."

"For obvious reasons, a pool is something that you want to certify, for all sorts of reasons, to make sure it is safe for usage by our students and the community," he said.