Aging Giles pool poses dilemma for Blissfield Village

By MELISSA BURNOR

Will the Gail Giles Pool open this summer? Possibly repairs will be enough but the village may potentially have to replace the shell of the pool now showing signs of significant damage.

Would the village decide to rebuild the pool in another location or eliminate a public pool from the village landscape altogether? There is damage to the concrete shell but how much is not known. “Without peeling back the vinyl liner we don’t know exactly how bad it is,” village Administrator James Wonacott said, “but you can tell by applying pressure that there is give and there shouldn’t be.”

Wonacott said he believes the concrete shell is the original one constructed 60 years ago.

The pool originally opened for three days during the Labor Day weekend of 1956 after the completion of construction. It opened in the spring of 1957 with a dedication on May 30 for the first full season. The main donors were Mr. and Mrs. William Giles whose daughter Gail Giles had drowned.

Besides the shell, the liner and the circulation system are in need of repairs.

Last year after a significant flood put the entire facility under water, the pump was severely damaged and it was uncertain whether repairs could be made to it in order to reopen the pool. Parts were found and the pool was open weeks later.

For the complete story, please see the Jan. 27, 2016, edition of The ADVANCE. To subscribe, just call 517-486-2400 and get local, Local, LOCAL news in your mailbox each week!