NORWICH – The Common Council met for a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Kurt Beyer Pool and approve a continuation of repairs despite an additional expense of nearly $52,000 to the already costly renovation project.

Unseen damage was not counted into an original repair estimate given by contractor Wilcox Construction, which was awarded a bid of 219,698 for pool repairs earlier this year. According to the city’s Department of Public Works Superintendent Carl Ivarson, the extra damage – which includes extensive ice damage to roughly 500 square feet of Marcite lining the inside of the pool and four large cracks in the pool’s deep end – wasn’t unexpected.

Other additional repairs include: Marcite and tile work in the kids pool; repairs to expansion joints along the deck of the pool; and replacing broken depth mark tiles throughout the pool’s interior.

After factoring all additional expenses, the cost of renovations reaches a total $288,902.

“It’s no surprise ... We knew we wouldn’t be able to see everything until we got in there and started work,” Ivarson told the Council, adding that he has kept them updated throughout the renovation process. “Otherwise, the project is right on schedule,” he said.

“We’re too far into the project to put the brakes on now,” noted Ward Four Alderman Walter Schermerhorn. The Council agreed that the best option was to move forward with the project.

The city currently has a total $207,946 in its Pool Repair Capital Project fund, including the total $120,000 in charitable grants from the Greater Norwich Foundation, Roger Follett Foundation and Robert C Smith Foundation ($40,000 each).

To pay the additional costs, the Council passed a resolution to transfer $40,000 from various city accounts:

• $5,000 from Contingency

• $4,000 from Municipal Buildings - Utilities