Hamilton Pool will reopen today after the university repaired cracks discovered during winter break maintenance.
According to Adam Hoyt, the head coach of the men's swimming team, the repairs were completed and the pool was refilled over the past several days.
"As far as I know, the pool is not leaking any more than it might have over the past five years ... It has always had minimal leaking just because it is an old pool," Hoyt said. "The leaking that caused us to have to repair it [was that] it was losing about five feet of pool water over night ... in 12 hours you're losing 20 to 30,000 gallons."
Matt Malone, the manager of Facilities, Fields and Game Management, explained that engineers were called in to assess the pool's infrastructure and the ground beneath the facility.
"They knew of the surface crack and went through it and did some radar to make sure that below the surface of the pool, ... the integrity of the structure hadn't been compromised," Malone said. "They were basically able to come to the assumption that there wasn't any more damage and they were able to fill the cracks and ... get it ready to go again."
While both Hoyt and Malone said that the pool is now safe for swimming, general maintenance will still be performed during its usual closure in late summer.
"In August we always shut down the entire facility for about three weeks to just go through general repairs and get everything ready for the school year," Malone said. "We're going to go through and regrout the pool and deal with the smaller issues that we found."
The pool's closure reminded people that the pool is 70-years-old, making the community aware of the problems of an older facility, Hoyt said.
"It's a facility that currently demands a lot of attention and a lot of resources from Tufts University so it has certainly started a lot of conversations about the possibility of building a new pool," he said. "Those aren't new conversations - those are conversations that have happened in the past - but now there is a bit of a heightened sense of urgency."
But there is no timeline for the construction of a new pool, Hoyt noted. The university is still in the planning process.
"It's an exciting time, [but] it's just there are a lot of priorities at the university," he said. "I'm sure there are other facilities that deeply impact a lot of people that aren't as noticeable as an empty pool so it's just a matter of trying to address all of them and that's the challenge ... for Tufts."
Lifeguards will work their previously scheduled shifts, after working in other capacities since the beginning of the semester, Hoyt explained.
"We were able to work with our lifeguards to get those lifeguards on work study different positions in the athletic center to ensure they were on track to receive their financial aid packages," Hoyt said.
The pool will now be open daily during its previously scheduled operating hours, according to Hoyt.
While the swim season has ended for most swimmers, Hoyt said that sophomore Michael Winget and freshman William Metcalfe, both of whom qualified for the national championships, will be able to train in Hamilton Pool for the next two weeks. For additional coverage on the impact the pool closure had on the swim team, see the features section on page three.
