Pool Surface at Shaw Aquatics Center in Chehalis to Be Renovated This Fall

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The outdoor pool at the Shaw Aquatics Center in Chehalis will be completely resurfaced later this year using plaster and tile instead of the paint-based treatments that cost less but have proven incapable of lasting for more than a few years at a time.

Members of the Chehalis City Council voted during their regular meeting Monday to accept a proposed bid of $285,215.20 by Anderson Poolworks to complete the work, which will commence sometime after Labor Day and take about three weeks to complete, according to bid documents included in the meeting agenda packet. Workers will remove the existing paint finish and replace it with tile, including around the outer rim of the pool shell and lane lines for lap swim, before sealing the pool with a durable plaster product expected to last 20 years.

Though about $100,000 more expensive than the estimated cost to perform another paint job, the 20-year cost of maintaining the plaster, including the cost of installation, is estimated to be about $516,000 compared to nearly $750,000 to continue the paint-and-epoxy cycle during the same period. 

“People used to drain pools every year to paint them, and that’s super time consuming and expensive,” said Andrew Hunziker, parks and facilities manager for the City of Chehalis. “The painted surfaces now are only warrantied for two years and meant to last up to four, because of the chemicals in the water. Most people are moving away from that and to a plaster surface, which is why we’re going that route with our new project .… I feel like we’re getting a better product with the plaster.”

More than half of the work this year will be covered by $182,000 of lodging tax funds set aside during the past two years. More than $84,000 is projected to come from a public facilities reserve fund, with the remaining $19,000 coming from general fund dollars previously allocated for work on the pool deck. Mayor Pro-tem Terry Harris thanked the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for having the foresight to set aside those funds in anticipation of such an expense.

Chehalis Community Development Director Trent Lougheed told the council Monday that the city put out a request for proposals for the pool using a scope of work and specifications created by city staff for the paint-based process. 

In response to a question from Chad Taylor, Lougheed added that not putting an iron-clad project out to bid allowed contractors to not only submit proposals based on what the city provided, but also suggest alternatives such as tile and plaster.



“This is a very thick layer of plaster that is sprayed on,” Lougheed said. “It used to not be the preferred method, because the plaster would chip off and not last as long. But with the new fiber reinforcements they have now, everyone is switching to it.”

Mayor Dennis Dawes said Monday during the council meeting that while the proposal saves money over the long run, he still wants staff to keep a close eye on the plaster and address any concerns at the first sign that something has gone wrong while the work is still under warranty.

Whether or not an alternative proposal is considered depends largely on the nature of the project itself, Lougheed explained following the meeting. Factors such as the priority level, scope of work, reputation of the company and cost go into the decision-making process.

In the case of the pool, there was at least one additional aspect that played a small role in leading city staff to move from paint to plaster.

“The cost of draining that many thousands of gallons of water out and the amount of water that would be spent by needing to empty and fill the pool every few years, that’s a lot of wasted resources,” Lougheed said.