Atlanta’s parks department has closed the pool and fitness center of the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium because of safety and security issues raised by a private engineering firm.
A report from Atlanta-based Civil Services Inc. found that the swimming pool facility on Boulevard in the Sweet Auburn District would be structurally unsound in the event of seismic activity or wind gusts of 90 mph. The facilities will remain closed indefinitely.
“The city continues to put public safety first,” said Duriya Farooqui, the city’s chief operating officer. “We recognize how important the MLK Natatorium is for the city of Atlanta, the community and the residents it has served. We wanted to make sure our response was thoughtful and that we did our due diligence. [But] the structure is not safe for us to continue operating.”
The facility is Atlanta’s oldest natatorium. In 1978, the pool structure was built on top of a massive warehouse dating to the 1920s.
After a 2009 report raised questions about the building’s long-term viability, the structure underwent some repairs, but they were not considered permanent solutions.
Then the report this week raised more concerns about degradation of the underlying structure and the steel supports that hold up the facility.
“Due to the severe adverse condition of the underlying warehouse structure, we determined that rehabilitation would be cost prohibitive and not practical,” Ramesh Kalvakaalva of Civil Services Inc. wrote in the report, which noted that corrosion in the basement had compromised the structure.
“The structure does not meet current building codes from a life safety perspective,” the report states. “We feel there is no economical and reliable repair alternative.”
City Councilman Kwanza Hall, who was trained as a lifeguard at the facility at age 15, called it a great resource. “But we have to be preventative and proactive,” he said.
City officials said the closure of the pool and fitness center will not affect the nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. It will remain open.
The city owns and operates three other natatoriums — Adamsville, Rosel Fann and Washington Park. Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs said it is extending the hours of operation at those three natatoriums to accommodate inconvenienced residents.
During the course of regular maintenance and repairs, there have been no signs of similar structural problems at the city’s three remaining facilities, Farooqui said.
The parks department is also in talks with Atlanta Public Schools to allow residents to use the pool at King Middle School, about a mile away from the MLK facility.
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