TOLEDO, Ohio — Willys Pool in Toledo is closed for the remainder of the season due to a possible vandalism incident which potentially risked an explosion, the city of Toledo said.
The city said pool staff Wednesday morning found chairs and equipment covered in chemical residue, "presumably from the fire extinguishers subsequently found in the pool itself."
A chemical assessment was performed and the presence of ammonium phosphate was discovered. When combined with chlorine, the combination could form a highly combustible compound nitrogen trichloride, which could potentially cause an explosion, the city said.
The chlorine flow was stopped and the pool, on Hillcrest Avenue in west Toledo, will be drained Thursday, the city said.
A city spokesperson told WTOL 11 the incident is believed to be "an intentional act of vandalism" and occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
The estimated cost of three factors is to be determined, a city spokesperson told WTOL 11 Thursday: losing the use of the pool for the rest of the season, labor and supplies, and the potential environmental impact.
"While it is unfortunate this incident has cut short the pool's availability for the final weeks of summer, our staff remains committed to providing a safe environment for our swimmers at our other pool locations," the city said.
"We sincerely appreciate the understanding and patience of our community following this incident."
What are regular swimmers at the Willys Pool going to do? WTOL 11 spoke with community members about their thoughts on the closure.
Gabriella Estrada, a sixth-grade cheerleader for the Whittier Jets, is understandably upset about the pool closure since she often swims there.
"I was planning on going there because we went all day last year. We didn't really go into any other public pools," Estrada said.
Shunta Parker, a local mother of two, said she is irritated not only because the pool was possibly vandalized, but because the closure leaves one less option for where she can take her kids for a dip.
"Unlike other kids who have pools, there's nowhere for [Willys Pool swimmers] to go to," Parker said. "I brought my kids to this pool, and they always ask me if they can go. Now when they ask me if they're going to be able to go, I have to tell them no, because it's closed. They're not going to refill it."
Aubrielle Morton, also a sixth-grade cheerleader, said she's not going to let the pool's closure stop her summer fun since there are plenty of other pools in Toledo.
"I don't have a natural feeling about it not reopening because there's a lot of places where we can swim at," Morton said.
The city's five other pools, as well as the splash pad, will remain open until Aug. 19.
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