Recreation pool at Smith Aquatic Center closed for weeks due to mechanical failure

The Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center opened in 2010 at the campus of what is now called Charlottesville Middle School at the same site where a previous municipal indoor pool had operated.

Since then, the facility has experienced several mechanical mishaps that have led to it being closed for periods of time. Repairs came with a cost, too, such as a shut-down announced shortly before the pandemic to repair heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.

The facility didn’t reopen for over two years and when it did, NBC29 reported the bill was $2.23 million.

On March 2, the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department announced that one of the center’s amenities will close for a time this spring.

“Due to a mechanical failure involving pump room operations, the Recreation Pool at Smith Aquatic & Fitness Center will be closed for approximately six to seven weeks,” reads an information release.

The mechanical failure is related to the boiler which heats water for both pools. The infrastructure will be replaced at a cost between $40,000 and $50,000, according to Deputy Director of Recreation Kelly Ledbetter.

“We are continuously looking at the health and safety of all our facilities and are making plans to determine highest priorities through our budgeting processes,” Ledbetter said in an email.

The lap pool and the fitness center remain open.

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