TAMPA, Fla. — People are ready for summer, but one popular pool in Tampa is not. Recently, the city of Tampa announced it was closing the Sulphur Springs Pool indefinitely, and did not set a date for reopening.

Louis Campanello, the team supervisor for Tampa Parks and Recreation, said they noticed a problem a couple of months ago when the city drained the pool.

“There’s some movement in the deck and some tiles popping, and things that were disturbing,” he said, noting that the team found other damage and underground issues.

“We really don’t know," Campanello said. "Obviously, it could be a cavern, it could be somewhere where water has eroded, it could be anything at this point. That’s why they recommended we get samples and dig a little bit deeper to see what it really is below there."

This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Charlie Adams, the President of the Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Association Action League, said that in 2020, the pool was also closed to repair damage.

“The pool has reached its capacity as regards to its age," he said. "It’s been around for maybe 25 years. Building the pool in this area was already on soft land and near the seawall. Over time, it was going to be an issue."

Adams is looking to work with the city to provide transportation for Sulphur Springs residents to get to the nearest pool, which would be at Copeland Park.

“So maybe for the summer program, we can have a pool where we can have recreational activities,” he said.

According to Campanello, the city is working with engineers to figure out what to do next, but people do have other options.

There are 11 other city pools, and three of those are within a 10-minute drive of the Sulphur Springs location. 

There have been discussions about building a new pool in Sulphur Springs, but officials estimate that could potentially cost around $10 million.