No solution yet for Hartley's pool problems

Hartley city officials are still awaiting details of a proposal that would address issues at the new pool.

The city council learned last week the pool could not pass inspection due to errors made with electrical work during the construction process. According to City Administrator Erica Haack, the pool's general contractor, Eriksen Construction, is still investigating a solution to remedy the problems. Once one is developed, it will have to be approved by the state electrical examining board.

"We have been in communication with them and we're hoping we get something in the next week," Haack said. "[Eriksen] has not met with the state electrical examining board yet. That board meets quarterly, so we're not sure when they will be reviewing the plan."

Haack believed that if and when a plan is approved by the board, the proposal will be brought back to the city for approval.

"The actual logistics of how that plays out are yet to be determined," she said, noting the issue is uncharted territory for the parties involved.

According to information presented during a special city council meeting on June 20, Eriksen Construction and the pool's subcontracted electrician, Phillips Electric, of Spirit Lake, didn't follow inspection rules mandated by National Electric Code 680 (NEC 680).

All metal objects in the pool and surrounding areas must be connected by a copper wire in a process called "equipotential bonding." The method is used as a safety measure to reduce the risk of severe shock should stray voltage polarize one of the objects in the pool.

The bonding wire must be inspected by a state or local electrical inspector before it gets buried under concrete to ensure the work was done properly. The inspections didn't take place at Hartley's pool during the construction process, a fact that wasn't known until after a vast majority of work was completed. Some material was used incorrectly during the bonding installation as well, according to previous discussion.

State regulations require new pools to follow guidelines set forth in NEC 680. Michael Fisher, the pool's project manager and design engineer, said the facility's specs also stipulated that all electrical work follow NEC 680.

Crews are no longer on site at the pool and all work has come to a halt in lieu of a remedy. It will not open this summer.

The city council held a special meeting on Wednesday night. The agenda included items regarding payment to the pool's manager, Pam Mohni, and lifeguards.

During the June 20 special meeting, several pool committee members and council members expressed a desire to pay the facility's employees this year despite recent developments that will keep it shuttered for the foreseeable future.

Details from Wednesday's meeting will be included in next week's newspaper.