A week before the swim and dive season was set to begin, a leak was detected in the Archie Williams pool, halting its use for practices and meets. The repair team expects to complete the repairs by the end of February, but until then, Archie Williams teams and community swimmers will be impacted. A construction team hired by the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) is working with Archie Williams to restore the facility.
After staff discovered the leak, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians were dispatched to investigate. Using a chemical dye, they determined the leak was coming from a light fixture in the pool. According to TUHSD HVAC technician Pete Silveira, the school must excavate the affected area.
“We are having to dig up concrete and excavate gravel in the affected area. [Once we do that], we will then go in and repair the electrical conduit causing the leak,” Silveira said.
The disruption has already affected student-athletes, including Archie Williams sophomore Zane Schuman, a member of the Sleepy Hollow Aquatics boys water polo team, who regularly practices in the pool.
“We had to skip practice right before a big competition last weekend and had to practice at Marin Academy for one day, which made our training that week a bit challenging,” Zane said.
The diving and swimming teams at Archie Williams, whose seasons started Monday, Feb. 10, rely on the pool for both practice and meets. With their home facility temporarily unavailable, Archie Williams Athletics Director Jett Russell emphasizes the urgency of the repairs.
“[What the maintenance team is] trying to do is expedite the work to fix the leak as fast as possible, so that our programs within the school can run smoothly when the season starts on Monday,” Russell said.
In the meantime, both the swim and dive teams have received support from San Domenico School.
“Our neighbors at San Domenico have been very nice to offer us full access to their pool five days a week. Swim practices will happen there until our pool is fixed,” Russell said.
The pool at Archie Williams is an essential facility for many teams and individuals. Given the heavy daily use by students and the community, it’s expected that the pool will face occasional maintenance challenges. Silveira explains that such issues are common and unpredictable.
“There’s really no way [we can] prevent anything. It’s just like a car or anything else… What’s causing [these issues] is just the settling of dirt and rock and movement in the earth,” Silveira said.
The swim and dive teams will be practicing at San Domenico until the Archie Willians pool is available again. TUHSD and the school are committed to ensuring the pool’s restoration so Archie Williams athletes can resume regular training and competitions as quickly as possible.
