Tag Archives: blizzard

The Pool Solution? A Tension Membrane Structure

 

On January 11, 2013, a massive blizzard swept our area causing a lot of damage.  Trees and power lines fell down giving us no power, but at the Cheshire Pool, located at 520 South Main Street, something more serious happened. The enormous bubble that keeps the pool enclosed for the winter couldn’t take all the pressure of the snow on top, which caused it to deflate and collapse.  Then, as if this wasn’t enough, the poles used by the swim team created a fifty foot hole in the bubble, erasing all hope for the bubble to be repaired.  Many months have resulted  in trying to find a new fixture to cover the pool.  Since this is the second time the bubble over the pool has collapsed, the town thought it was time to find a more permanent solution to the problem.  The current  end result was a tension membrane structure which will cost 3.2 million dollars.

As a swimmer myself, and although I don’t swim at the Cheshire Pool, I can see how disappointing this must be to all the swimmers that swim there.  Now, as the winter is just around the corner, the water is getting colder which means the Cheshire Pool must be closed.  Since there is no bubble to keep the warm air in the pool, the swimmers have to drive to another pool in the area to get their practice in.  This means the swimmers are up later at night driving to and from practice, where it would be so much easier if it were right in Cheshire.  In addition, the final solution for the pool will take a very long time to construct, and might not be ready until next year.  Although the process will take a long time, the end result will definitely be a satisfaction.

~Elli

Cheshire Public Pool Bubble: Two for Two

Have you heard that the Cheshire Public Pool bubble collapsed for a second time due to the 2013 snowstorm Nemo?  Can it happen a third time?  It occurred the first time from a snow storm two years ago and once again from blizzard Nemo that dumped up to 3 feet of snow on Cheshire. They tried to make the bubble sturdy enough to hold the weight of snow or rain, but clearly it hasn’t worked.  The weight of the snow has been too much to handle.  The past two snow storms have caused a lot of damage to the Cheshire Public Pool, not only to the bubble, but also to the equipment inside.  Now I ask you, do you think the town will decide to put up another bubble over the pool?

I honestly think that the Town of Cheshire will decide to put up a third bubble only to watch it collapse for a third time unless changes are made to the design.   If I was in charge of the town,  I would just keep the pool without a bubble.  What would you do if you have to choose?  The Cheshire Pool bubble collapsed because of the weight of the snow causing a tear in the bubble that was measured up to 40 feet long.  Who knew so much snow can cause the bubble to collapse two times?  Nobody knew snow could cause so much trouble to one town.  If the town of Cheshire had to get the opinion of residents, would you ever think of how many people would say put a new bubble up? Well, obviously the residents are thinking because each time the town is deciding to put a new bubble up it is costing the town money.  The money the town gets is from the residents through taxes. Would you want to pay higher taxes just to get the Town of Cheshire to put up another bubble over the pool or should we just put up a permanent structure over it? This idea of a permanent roof covering is a very expensive idea, but may be worth it in the end.  Have you ever thought of the people that have kids that have to pay for their kids to go to college?  How would you feel if you had to pay for your child’s education and have to give up some of their money for something the town should have to pay for?  How would you, as a resident in the Town of Cheshire, feel if you had to pay just to get a bubble that has a possibility of collapsing again to cover a pool.  The pool doesn’t necessarily need the the bubble because the pool can be used as a summer facility only.  The only problem with this idea is what will the town swim teams do about their seasons or what will the other townspeople do, who frequent the pool for year-round exercise?  Clearly, the town may be making the right decision by putting a new bubble over the pool, but who knows if it will be a waste of money to do so.

~Liana Quinones

Winter Storm Nemo Takes Out Northeast

Now finally recovering from Winter Storm Nemo, many are still shocked by the superstorm. On February 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2013, two powerful storms both heading for the New England states collided in a massive blizzard. Nemo, named Blizzard Charlotte in Connecticut, hit hard as towns like Hamden and Milford racked up as much as 38”, leaving many stuck in their homes. 18 deaths from this were also reported in th U.S. and Canada. Some main roads, side roads, and exit ramps were still not plowed even a few days after the storm. Luckily, plows came to the rescue on Monday and Tuesday so now people can get around. The snow wasn’t the half of it. Howling winds on Friday night caused 4-7 foot drifts around houses and buildings. Thankfully, almost everything is back to normal as towns and cities are almost cleaned up.


Winter storm Nemo, in my opinion, was the worst single storm in my life. Many cars, buildings and houses were covered and a lot of them caved in, 16 houses reportedly caved in by Monday morning. I think that if we were more prepared, Connecticut would have not been so bad as to cleaning up. Cheshire was hit hard, but Hamden and milford were bad. both had close to 38” of snow, and since we live near those 2 towns then this shows that the lower part of CT was the worst. In conclusion, this was a terrible storm but luckily we are recovering.

~Joe Degennaro

Snow Storm Nemo

  

 

Some people call it the blizzard of 2013. Being the first Nor’easter of this winter, snowstorm Nemo was the largest storm residents in the Northeast have seen in a long time. Some states received more than two feet of snow and schools were closed for several days. The roads were a narrow as most driveways. Bulldozers were on the sides of main roads attempting to widen them. Some effects of the storm included driving bans, power outages, or even flooding. Even now, over a week after the storm hit, people are still shoveling their sidewalks, driveways, roofs, porches, and decks. Plows are still clearing roads. Nemo left a big mess that everyone is still trying to clean up.

If  anyone is looking for a better way to keep your family and house safe during the next big storm we have, here’s some advice. 1) You should try to keep up with the snow. For example every two hours you can go outside and shovel everything off. This way you won’t have to deal with so much snow at once. 2) Make sure you shovel your roofs. So much snow sitting on your roof will weigh a lot. The roof can cave in under that much stress. I would suggest purchasing a roof rake to help get the snow off your roof. 3) Lastly, to avoid flooding, you should should shovel out the snow from around where the gutters drain the water. If you don’t do this the water will get trapped and seep through the ground into your basement. I hope these tips help for the next storm.

~Mike Quint