The Truthful Conditions of the BCMS Pool

The BCMS pool is used year-round by the Girls and Boys High School swim teams, Wave Swim Club, Community Ed Swim Lessons, and Open Swim. It was built in 1988, and it has been an uphill battle to keep it operational. One major concern is the starting blocks that have been deemed a safety hazard by MSHSL officials. With the cost of the blocks being $6,000 a piece, it is an unexpected expense that the BHM district did not budget for. The district, along with Wave, and the high school girls and boys swim booster boards, on behalf of the swim teams that use the pool, plan on collaborating to raise the funds to replace the old blocks. However, athletes, parents, and visiting swim teams are as concerned with the safety of the blocks as with the condition of the pool as a whole. For years, the drains have been incredibly slow, but recently, some of the drains have completely stopped working, which has led to additional safety hazards and unsanitary conditions for the BHM district to address. The Girls Swim and Dive feels the biggest concern is the state of the drains.

“They’re [the drains are] just decoration at this point because there’s nowhere for the water to go. Since the ground is sloped down, because that’s how it’s designed, and there’s supposed to be a drain there, it just becomes like a pool and a puddle, and then it gets into your shoes and stuff, it gets horrible,” said girls swim and dive manager Jillian Pack ’26.

Not having drains that work is a massive safety hazard for Buffalo and all the other teams that come to the pool. The still water contains bacteria and is a massive slipping hazard. Many sources say that if you have poor drainage the chance of waterborne diseases and infection is higher. The pooling that is happening surrounds the pool, at the end of the lanes, by the starting blocks, by the locker rooms,  and by the benches where the teams sit. With most teams in the Lakes Conference having state-of-the-art facilities, the conditions of the BCMS pool are not only unsanitary but embarrassing in comparison to what the other teams are used to practicing and competing in.

“I feel that after having the tiles in place, they should have fixed the drains as well, as it is a danger to the swimmers, divers, and anyone who competes with still water standing there that could have grass and bacteria in it,” Keeley Dirks ‘28 said.

In addition to the longstanding deterioration issues of the pool, construction at BCMS continues to be a hindrance to day-to-day life at the middle school, as there has been no hot water. The showers barely work, and the temperature offered is freezing. The divers are frozen during the entirety of practice because normally, they can fill a bucket up with hot water to stay warm and keep their muscles loose, but with the current situation, that’s not possible.

“It’s been utter torture, having to practice without hot water is horrible! I’m freezing the whole time.” Reese Navarro ‘30 said.

“It would be nice to have hot water back, as it is a danger for divers not to have hot water, as [the cold water] makes their muscles tense up, making it easier for them to injure themselves,”  Keeley Dirks ‘28 said.

Though new, mismatched tiles were put in this summer, the floor already has missing pieces, cracks, and sharp edges. On the side of the wall behind the diving board, there is an abundance of shattered tiles that, if anybody accidentally hit, they would get severely cut.

While the pool is old, the most prominent issues could have been prevented with proper and consistent maintenance. The evident neglect is disheartening, considering so many community members and teams use the pool consistently.