Authorized by Kenmore City Council in May, an engineering study of the Carole Ann Wald Pool in St. Edward State Park recommends roughly $2.8 million in repairs to the shuttered pool and adjacent gymnasium.

Completed by ORB Architects of Renton, the study claims some $919,000 in repairs would be needed to immediately reopen the pool and keep it open for five years.

That figure includes only the pool. Reopening the gym would require an additional $68,000. City administrators noted neither cost figure includes state required fees for project management that generally amount to 20 percent of the overall cost.

With that 20 percent, or $183,000, added in, the cost to reopen the pool alone jumps to $1.1 million.

The following are just a few of the roughly 12 immediate actions recommended by ORB:

• Replace main pool drains in order to comply with codes. The report states an assumption that leaky underground piping could be repaired at the same time. The leakage apparently is not insubstantial. At one point, the report states the pool is losing five gallons of water a minute or 7,200 gallon a day requiring “make-up” water to be supplied, treated and heated.

• Replace or repair broken equipment such as certain pumps and valves.

• Replace moisture damaged ceilings and fix leaks in the roof/skylight. The report talks about removing mold and treating areas with anti-fungal solutions.

• Repair existing fire-alarm equipment.

• Insulate walls and roofing and replace rusted aluminum doors and add insulation around those doors.

The report was presented on a preliminary basis during a City Council meeting June 28. No one from ORB was at the meeting and council took no action on the report.

However, City Manager Fred Stouder did collect questions from councilmembers to pass on to ORB officials, who are scheduled to attend a July 12 council meeting. Mayor David Baker said he wanted the report released prior to any council action, giving legislators and the public plenty of time to review the report’s recommendations. According to Baker, state officials indicated they would be willing to advertise for a new pool operator once a facility study was completed.

“We’ve done our part,” Baker said. “Let’s see what they do.”

State officials did not return a phone call.

“Things are pretty much in the air right now,” said Councilman Allan Van Ness.

Van Ness added several councilmembers, including himself, have concern regarding some of ORB’s very specific recommendations. Essentially, he questioned the need for some of the repairs.

For example, ORB recommends upgrading the pool changing rooms by adding floor drains. Van Ness said he does not understand why such drains would constitute an immediate necessity. Still, Van Ness made clear he isn’t necessarily against repairing the pool.

“The pool is a facility I feel should be in the community, but how we get there is a question,” he said.

Van Ness talked about possibly floating a bond issue before Kenmore voters in order to pay for repairs, but admitted that idea raises a few problems. First and foremost, he said, the Wald pool belongs to the state, not the city, so it isn’t clear city residents alone should foot the bill to repair the pool. He also noted Kenmore residents only make up about half of the pool’s users.

According to the ORB analysis, the pool building “appears to be in good structural condition.” But the report also says the building uses an excessive amount of energy to heat the pool water and surrounding air. ORB said a lack of insulation and energy-efficient equipment is to blame for high energy usage.

“While there are significant repair and maintenance items that cannot be ignored,” the report reads, “it is important to make the point that the swimming pool facility cannot viably operate without addressing the building’s considerable energy consumption — much of it wasted.”

Based on reports provided them, ORB said gas and electric bills were running as high as $11,000 monthly when the pool was open. The report argues cutting those costs 25 percent would save some $30,000 annually just off those two bills.

Long-term solutions listed in the ORB analysis include, possibly most notably, replacement of seemingly a large portion of the pool’s mechanical equipment, including its boiler and filtration systems. Electrical panels, lighting and other electrical fixtures also would need replacing, the report states. ORB says those moves could keep the pool operating for another 25 years.

Long-term costs to repair and extend the life of the gymnasium were estimated at $588,000, but that figure includes $200,000 in structural repairs the report states need to be determined. Presumably, then, the overall gym costs could rise or fall.

The Wald pool closed Dec. 3, 2009, when the second private operator in less than a year pulled out of its contract to run the facility because of financial concerns. The contract included operating the gym.