BETHEL -- Problems with a fire suppression system kept the city's new swimming pool and fitness center shuttered Wednesday, a week and a half after its grand opening, but city officials announced late in the evening it will be able to open if volunteers sign up for fire watch duties.
The state fire marshal said in an interview earlier in the day that his office would allow the pool to open if someone patrolled the building for signs of fire, but that so far no one had stepped up to take on the task.
"It's a pretty simple fix to get people in the building," Fire Marshal Kelly Nicolello said.
That's the temporary course the city has now decided to take.
In an announcement acting Bethel City Manager Peter Williams sent out just after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the city and the pool manager said they are seeking fire-watch volunteers for four-hour shifts. Anyone who covered at least 20 hours -- five shifts -- would get a free one-month pass to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Aquatic Health and Safety Center, the announcement said.
"The responsibilities are minimal but do require the ability to walk the entire perimeter of the building," the announcement said.
As soon as enough volunteers sign up, the pool will open, Williams said in a brief phone interview Wednesday evening.
Since the Nov. 1 grand opening, no paying customers have had a chance to swim laps, test the slide, work out on exercise machines or relax in the oversized hot tub. The crowded celebration that day was free.
The problem is the lack of water pressure to properly run the sprinkler system, Nicolello said. The pool facility is connected to city water pipes. Two pumps are supposed to activate in the event of a fire, but during tests, only one runs, and in far reaches of the building, there is not enough water pressure to turn on the intended number of sprinklers, Nicolello said.
"For some reason it only operates off the first city pump and it doesn't flow enough water to activate the second pump, which it needs to meet the design criteria," the fire marshal said.
The city, prime contractor Bethel Services Inc., which is the construction arm of Bethel Native Corp., project manager Project Development Associates and others all are working on a fix, city attorney Patty Burley said Wednesday. The city-owned pool facility was built largely with a $23 million state appropriation.
"Every day -- five, seven times a day -- we are touching base, we are looking at everything. We are working as a team: BSI, project development, city of Bethel, outside engineers. It is everybody's No. 1 priority," Burley said.
The Bethel Fire Department can train someone to make rounds every hour or so while the building is open to check for fire hazards or warning signs, Nicolello said. Bill Howell, Bethel's acting fire chief, already has the required forms in hand, the fire marshal said.
"We're talking 30 minutes worth of training here," Nicolello said. "They can open while they are trying to fix the sprinkler problem."
City officials and pool managers didn't initially embrace the proposal. But after a teleconference Wednesday, they decided to give it a try, Williams said.
Anyone interested in volunteering for fire watch can contact Raunicka Ray, the facility manager, at 907-545-5520, the city announcement said.
The facility already is staffed with a paid crew trained and ready to work once it opens, Ray said. She works for USA Pools, which has a city contract to run the new health and fitness center. She's still hiring lifeguards, fitness instructors and custodial workers as well.
The pool will be open limited hours, Tuesday through Saturday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., while a team troubleshoots the sprinkler problem, the city said.
Williams, whose main job is port director but who has been filling in as city manager, told the Bethel City Council on Tuesday night that engineers have been working on the problem since early September, but various options have failed. One attempt involved the installation of a valve but it was not enough, he said.
A crew was working on it even on the day of the grand opening. The event went on as planned with a city fire crew and fire truck parked outside the facility.
Williams received 53 pages of documents from the project manager, Project Development Associates, and will ask Burley, the city attorney, to review them, he said in a written report to the council. One proposal would require the city to change settings at its water plant, but that could affect other buildings.
"I urge caution in letting public pressure influence whatever decisions need to be made," his report said. "This is a engineering problem best left to engineers."
It's not uncommon for glitches to emerge in fire suppression systems, and engineers will figure out a solution, Nicolello said.
Bev Hoffman, who pushed for the pool for decades and led the opening day celebration, urged the City Council to find a solution. She said she felt deceived. She showed up to use the pool the morning of Nov. 2, the day after the grand opening, along with a few dozen others, only to find it was closed.
"That was the first clue the community had," she said in an interview. She said she marched back to the boiler room and found project and city leaders huddling. "Just get it figured out," she said.
Pool operators are urging the community to be patient. Those who have already paid for memberships will get their plan extended, Ray said.
The city says people can check the fitness center's Facebook page for updates.
"During this difficult time all parties wish to stress that they are working cooperatively and diligently with the sole focus of reopening the pool as soon as possible," the city announcement said.