MARION -- Gunk and grease and how to filter it in the spa at The HUB Recreation Center came up at the Marion City Council meeting on Monday night.
HUB Aquatics Director Jared King told the council that since April there have been problems with the filters in the spa, which has required himself and other HUB staff to work overnight at cleaning the filters.
"We have identified a tear in the filter media," King said. The filters, using a regenerative technology developed only recently, were sold by Nemato, a South Carolina company that went bankrupt in 2018.
That leaves The HUB, as well as many other pool and spa operators, looking for spare parts, King said.
The replacement parts, still available from pool-supply firms, cost around $36,000, King said. And that is the cheapest option.
Otherwise, the city will have to look for another filtration system, which would involve the out-of-budget cost of running new plumbing for everything. A different filtration system, such as sand, would also require changing the architecture of The HUB, adding astronomical costs.
"This a short-term fix," King told the council of the plan to buy spare parts. "It will probably keep us going for five to 10 years. Probably more like five years."
Mayor Mike Absher said the city should agree to pick up the costs of the filter fix and then build the replacement cost into the budget over the coming years.
With no purchase order in hand, the council was not able to take action, however King was urged to proceed with getting the parts.
"If that's the route you want to take, you should do it," Absher said.
