February 2026 Informational List regarding Pool
Bethel Pool Fact Sheet February 19, 2026
Fiberglass: Since installation in 1991, fiberglass requires yearly maintenance and repairs. It cracks and peels every single year Fiberglass repairman retired. He was the last person who did fiberglass pools like ours Fiberglass is not connected to asphalt base. When water gets under the fiberglass it creates large bubbles and/or flows to the deep end of the pool. Fiberglass bubbles crack and/or break under weight of patrons walking on them or with fluctuations in temperature. To preserve the pool returns, pool water must be drained below them in the fall. This leaves a large part of the fiberglass unweighted and compromised. New concrete surfacing around entire shallow end cracked, heaved and buckled. Extent of the damage is unknown until the snow melts in the spring.
Plumbing: Plumbing around the majority of the pool dates back to the 1970's. In 2025 it took approximately 20 minutes for water to start coming out of the returns; this suggests underground leak(s) and/or blockages in the plumbing There are 14 pool returns; 8 have decent water flow, 2 barely, 4 don't work at all. It takes roughly 170 hours to fill the pool through the pump system. Can't be replaced as they are molded into the fiberglass There are 10 skim baskets; 3 don't work at all, 2 are sub-par, 5 carry the load of filtering the entire pool putting a massive drain on the pump system. Can't be replaced as they are molded into the fiberglass Drain in deep end was sealed prior to 2017 (no recorded date). Water still seeps around the drain attributing to daily water loss. The outdoor shower can't be used as there is no drain, so all shower water flows towards the pool, under the fiberglass and/or into the pool. Bathroom showers have not been used since 2018. There are no bathroom floor drains. Chlorine: Pool uses liquid chlorine which enters the pool through the returns which are situated only in the deep end, so no chlorine enters the shallow end except through water movement. This creates a chlorine management problem. Chlorine tank is in the same room as the pump system-filter tank, backflow preventers, pressure reducer regulators, water meters, pump motor, Start/Stop Control box and Emergency panel, and chlorine gauges Chlorine gases are causing rust and corrosion problems to the entire system. The pump motor had to be replaced in June 2023. Other parts of the system have to be replaced regularly. Because of this the Chlorine tank needs to be moved into its own building which we would have to build to correct this issue.
Other facility issues: Stair railings in shallow end need to be replaced and require new grounding Deep end ladders were replaced in 2025 but need new ground wires Each year more asphalt breaks up around the deep end Grass and weeds grow up between the fiberglass and concrete edge around deep end Diving board under carriage and base is corroded. Lap lane hooks have corroded, and some have broken. They are molded into fiberglass. New hooks were attached outside the pool into concrete.
Staffing:
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Doesn't include Director(s)
Total # staff 12 11 closed 10 9 10 7 6
Lifeguard only 7 5 0 9 7 6 1 2
Lifeguard & WSI 5 6 0 1 2 3 6 3
WSI only (can't guard) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Water Safety Instructors (WSI) don't have to be Lifeguard certified to teach lessons. When we have staff that are only WSI we can't use them as lifeguards Since 2018 many of the staff members were recruited specifically by Dietre-her teenage children, their peers, siblings of peers, young community members Dietre knew who were looking for their first job Minimum of 10 guards needed to run a full program, 12 is ideal-2 Head guards are a must, plus Jr. Guards (age 15) to build the program Minimum of 4 WSI certified staff, 6 is ideal, to teach American Red Cross (ARC) swim lessons levels Parent/Child through Level 6. Water Safety Instructor courses are becoming extremely difficult to find. American Red Cross requires instructors to have a minimum of 5 enrollees or else the class is cancelled. Bethel guards desiring WSI training are having to travel to MA, CT, and NH, to find WSI courses. Only known course is offered once every spring at CCBA in Lebanon. Alumni guards-each with 5-8 years' experience working at the Bethel Pool-have retired leaving a huge gap in experienced lifeguards and WSI.