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NATCHEZ — A passionate group of senior swimmers wants its pool back.

The group of approximately 30 ladies who attended a meeting organized by Mayor Dan Gibson on Wednesday has met in the early morning hours for years — some for decades — at the indoor swimming pool at the Natchez Senior Citizens Center for exercise and camaraderie.

“Our bodies miss being in that pool,” one said.

“And we miss being with our family,” another said, referring to her fellow swimmers.

Gibson gathered the ladies in the Natchez Council Chambers Wednesday afternoon to explain why the pool had to be closed and what would happen next. Gibson vowed to reopen the pool if experts could find a way to do so.

“The closing of the pool is temporary,” he said. “You know that Don Blankenstein, who is very well respected in our community, has been taking care of the pool for a number of years. Back in March, Don refused to sign off on the pool. What triggered it was when Don said carbon monoxide levels were at a toxic point. He had to just say close the pool. He said he could no longer in good faith sign off on the pool. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The swimming pool was closed on March 13.

Gibson said the higher-than-ideal carbon monoxide levels were caused by the equipment needed to operate the pool, which is located inside the building and lacks proper ventilation.

However, the pool has more problems than faulty ventilation. It is leaking, which is causing issues with the parking lot area and a retaining wall behind the building. The plumbing for the pool is run on the floor, which creates a potential tripping hazard, and the surface water is not properly recirculating.

At Blankenstein’s recommendation, the city hired a consulting firm to determine a complete list of issues that must be addressed.

“They came and did quite an inspection,” Gibson said. He said multiple equipment, access, structural, plumbing and sanitation violations with the pool in its current condition were identified.

The consulting firm recommended that the city start from scratch and consider building a new therapy swimming pool outside or in another location.

“I am not going to follow this advice to close the pool and build a new one,” Gibson said. “No. We believe that pool is a very important part of our history.”

The swimming pool was constructed in 1913 when the building, originally Carpenter No. 2, was built.

Mimi Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation was at Wednesday’s meeting and provided a brief history of the building and the pool. The building is a significant part of Natchez’s history.

“Carpenter No. 2 was built in 1913. It won the award from the American School Board for the finest school built in the country that year,” Miller said. “It was designed by Ruben Harrison Hunt of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a very well-known architect. He also designed Carpenter No. 1.

“As many of you know, the Carpenter family has to go down in history as the most philanthropic family we ever had. They built Carpenter No. 1 and Carpenter No. 2 — furnished them and paid for them — and Prince Street School,” she said. “You can imagine a swimming pool in 1913.”

Maxine McAndrews, who has worked, volunteered, organized, and taught classes at the Senior Center swimming pool for many years, said it closed in 1950 with the onset of the polio epidemic. Miller said it reopened in 1980 when Rose Minette Gaude organized the Natchez Swim Team.

“Dr. David Steckler (a long-time Natchez school board member) and Al Graning (a Natchez alderman at the time) led the way to reopening the swimming pool,” Miller said.

Gibson said no contractor will be liable for repairing the pool without stamped engineering plans. The city has identified Ryan Dunlevy of Southeast Engineers LLC as an expert in swimming pool engineering. Gibson and city building inspector Jody Rutter plan to meet with Dunlevy on Monday morning. They hope he can make a plan to get the pool rehabilitated and up and running again.

“We will make it very clear that we want to utilize the pool that exists here today,” he said. “I don’t know how long it is going to take (to make the repairs). Engineers are busy. We will have a better idea of that within the week.

In the meantime, Gibson and others will work to determine an early morning time when the ladies can use the community pool on Liberty Road for their exercise classes and swimming. That pool is heated, important for water therapy and swimming outdoors on chilly mornings.

The pool is also used by the Cathedral swim team, other groups, and for swimming lessons. The ladies requested to use at least a portion of the community pool from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.