The reopening of the Fernley Swimming Pool, which had been hoped for by the end of the school year, will instead be pushed back for several weeks because of a delay in the production and delivery of new roof panels.
The pool closed in mid-February to replace the roof, which sustained significant damage from strong winds during a storm in February 2024. Initial expectations were that the project would involve a straightforward roof replacement, along with electrical and fire system upgrades.
However, once demolition of the old roof and engineering review began, portions of the original roof system did not match the existing plans. Fernley Swimming Pool Manager Patrick Daniel said contractors discovered that a layer of material that was supposed to be between the aluminum panels and the insulation was missing when they began removing the roof panels.
At the time, project officials did not believe the issue would cause delays. Daniel said the new roof panels were originally expected to arrive in early May. When that did not happen, staff discussed pausing the project for the summer and restarting it later in the year.
“Then the more we learned about these roof panels, the more impossible that became,” Daniel said. “There’s a long list of do’s and do nots with these panels for how they can be handled and how they can be stored. So we’re just stuck.”
Daniel said he was notified last week that the new roof panels, which include the roof, insulation and ceiling in a single product, were expected to be delivered June 3.
He said installation of the panels is expected to take about six weeks. Once installation is complete, the project must pass required inspections and approvals related to structural, electrical, fire and life-safety codes.
Daniel said that means the earliest possible reopening would be in mid-July.
“That’s what it looks like, but I’m not going to promise anything at this point,” he said.
Suzanne Prouty, president of the Fernley Swimming Pool GID Board of Trustees, said the board is frustrated by the delay and understands the frustration many residents feel.
“When I found out, I was horrified,” Prouty said. “I know people want their pool back, and we are absolutely doing our utmost to try and make that happen.”
Prouty said public works projects are subject to extensive regulations, inspections and approval processes that can significantly affect timelines.
“It’s a public works project, and that means you have to go through a lot more hoops and a lot more details than if you were a homeowner doing a project at your house,” she said. “We have to bend over backwards to get this right.”
She added that officials had hoped to reopen the facility by Memorial Day and later targeted June 13, but those timelines are no longer possible because of the manufacturing and delivery delays.
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