Surface of FIT pool to be replaced after broken pieces posed risks to students
For two years, areas of the surface of the FIT Pool have been breaking into shards and posing danger to students, requiring Recreation and Wellness to make consistent repairs, according to the Director of Recreation and Wellness Chris Marks.
Now, the pool is being resurfaced to eliminate the problem altogether.
The pool, which has not been replaced since it was built in 2017, is surfaced with a marcite blue textured finish. Recreation and Wellness was forced to make frequent repairs when the marcite began “detaching and breaking into pieces,” according to Marks.
“When this happens, the edge of the broken marcite becomes sharp and people can cut their feet while in the water,” Marks said.
Marcite is a cement and marble dust traditionally used in pools as an “affordable option,” according to Blue Haven Pools. Marcite is known to be vulnerable to unbalanced water chemistry and hard water, according to Blue Haven Pools.
Marks said no one has been injured from the cracking finish.
Marcite finishes should last eight to 12 years, according to Swimmer Living . However, the surface is being repaired less than seven years after its construction at USF.
Capstone On-Campus Management (COCM), Recreation and Wellness’ partners in the Village, are paying for the repair out of contingency funds set aside for “issues like this,” which Marks said will cost approximately $89,000.
The construction began during a routine closure of the FIT pool between Thanksgiving and Spring Break. Recreation and Wellness requested that the project be completed ahead of the scheduled reopening after Spring Break, according to Marks.
The vendor predicted the project would be completed by the end of February barring any issues, Marks said.
More Stories
Bomb threat at USF Cooper hall wasn’t legitimate, police say
University Police (UP) determined a reported bomb threat at Cooper Hall on Tuesday night wasn’t legitimate. After sweeping Cooper Hall, UP found “nothing of concern,” according to a universitywide email sent out at 12:39 a.m on Wednesday. The investigation is still ongoing, according to police. The USF community was first alerted to the bomb threat […]
Pro-Palestine encampment protest at USF broken up by tear gas
Law enforcement broke up a pro-Palestine encampment of around 100 protesters at the USF Tampa campus Tuesday evening using tear gas. The demonstration was the second in two days at USF where students, employees and community members urged the university to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel. Related: Several protesters at USF arrested […]
Several protestors at USF arrested during pro-Palestine encampment protest
Three protestors were arrested by University Police (UP) Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Marshall Student Center (MSC), according to USF spokesperson Althea Johnson. Johnson said the three arrests included a student, an employee and an individual who is not associated with the university. Related: USF pro-Palestine hunger strikers removed from BOT meeting […]
The Oracle needs your help
Dear reader: Reporters for USF’s award-winning student newspaper, The Oracle, have recently navigated through a pandemic, a rapidly evolving political climate and a change in university president – all with the goal of sharing important news and stories. Though The Oracle has been an integral part in keeping the USF community informed since 1966, we […]
USF won’t install more physical protections following recent on-campus suicide
USF will not be implementing additional physical safety measures over a month after a student leapt from an upper floor inside the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said. The incident marked the third on-campus suicide since fall 2022. A week after a student fell from an upper floor of Beard Garage in 2022, […]
Meet USF’s new student body president and vice president
A new era of Student Government (SG) just arrived. In a quick five-minute ceremony, student body president-elect Suryakanth Prasad Gottipati and vice president-elect Sumit Subhash Jadhav were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. Their term will start on May 6 and last for one year. Related: Take a look at USF’s student leaders’ swearing in ceremony […]