*** MEETING NOTICE ***

As of 0800 on February 8th, our special membership meeting was to be held on February 9th, 2010 at Freedom Elementary School in Eldersburg, Maryland. The Carroll County school system is closed for Tuesday, February 9th, 2010. The new meeting place will be at the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department at 6680 Sykesville Road, Sykesville, Maryland. The entrance is in the rear at the red canopy. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM in the hall. We will have a member at Freedom Elementary to redirect our members directions to the new meeting location. Please check back with our web site for any additional updates to the meeting time or location.

This meeting will address some essential maintenance concerns that we currently have with our pool. These problems are not unique to our pool as these problems are very typical with any outdoor swimming pool. The list is long as what we need to have done. The two largest and most expensive items are to replacement of the pool deck and the resurfacing of the pool. Here are the issues at hand that we are looking to address this spring:

Water leaking from pool’s supply or return lines has been detected. We need to have the lines pressure tested in order for the leak to be found and fixed. These lines run beneath the concrete pool decking and they have ruptured before. Fixing the leak entails that a portion of the deck to be removed and replaced. We will be attempting to record the locations of these water lines when the testing is being performed. The new concrete work and pool supply/return line test will addess this problem.

The pool’s surface has become very rough and needs to be resurfaced. The surface has deteriated and been worn down to the gunite at several areas including the dive well. It has also started to flake up at the 3 ½’ section. This roughness causes abrasions when walking or moving about in the pool.

The main pool return drains must be replaced in order for us to comply with Federal guidelines. All pools need to implement these changes. These drain covers are required for our pool to be in accordanance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. This work will be done when the pool is resurfaced.

The concrete decking between the main pool and the club house as well as the pool deck surrounding the baby pool needs to be patched or replaced. Concrete slabs have shifted and cracked over the many years. Our pool is 35 years old and the concrete has held up pretty well, but the shifted slabs have created numerous trip hazards. Patching the concrete has only been temporary and the patching is now breaking up. This is a health department issue, but more importantly, this is a safety issue for our families and members. The original concrete also did not have the proper amount of expansion joints which cased uneven and uncontrolled cracking. The new concrete work will addess these problems.

Erosion is evident at the main pool deck’s drains. The erosion has caused the pool deck to slightly sink from one end of the deck to the other. This adds to the trip hazards, but a bigger concern is what else may be eroding away? This erosion could have profound effects to the pool's support structure or the club house if not addressed. The erosion could also be attributed to the water leak that we have currently identified. The new concrete work and pool supply/return line test will addess this problem.

A depression has been identified in the main pool deck next to the corner near the 3’ section. This is where a lot of members walk and water never drains from this spot. We have had issues with the water stagnating and algae growing at this spot which in turn creates a slip hazard. Caustic chemicals must be constantly used to address this hazard. This is also not the best solution as it is wasteful and hazardous. The new concrete work will addess this problem.

The 3' wading pool fence and support posts are starting to rust through and the winter freezing is pushing the posts out of the ground. The rusted fence and posts must be replaced. Rust is starting to penetrate through the paint that was applied couple of years ago. The fence will need to be repainted or replaced. Painting is a time consuming project and is only a temporary measure. The new concrete work will addess this problem as the current 3' fence will need to be removed and a new fence installed during the concrete work.

One of the 80 gallon water heaters in the pump room has started to leak and has rusted through the base. This water heater will need to be replaced. The replacement water heater will also be raised off of the floor as this is where the rust penetrated to old water heater.

We have sent out a special mailing to the membership which outlines a By-Law admendment and the request to authorize the Board of Directors to secure a loan for the work. We have taken out loans before for the pool's reconstruction and resurfacing and all have been paid in full. We anticipate a loan period of no more then ten years for this loan.

Volunteers Needed

We are looking for some help this year with the annual pool maintenance. Several picnic tables need to be fixed and additional tables built for the wooded area. The sand at the jungle gym and the volleyball court needs to be raked and we might need to add additional sand to these areas. I'll post the volunteer days once they have been determined.