Lebanon's Pool Has Been Dark Since August. What Got Fixed, and Where to Swim Until It Reopens
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
The Lebanon Community Pool closed on Aug. 8 for what was supposed to be a few weeks of repairs. As of mid-October it is still closed. Lebanon Local reported on Oct. 6 that the pool was going into its ninth week without swimmers. Unforeseen problems had come up, and staff were still working on water chemistry and temperature after a hoped-for Oct. 1 reopening came and went. The work inside went deeper than anything the pool has managed in years. It also landed in the same season that Corvallis lost its big indoor pool. For anyone in Lebanon who swims laps or brings kids to rec swim, that leaves a short list of options until the doors reopen.
In July, the Lebanon Aquatic District board planned on two or three weeks of closure in August. According to Lebanon Local's October report, the to-do list for that window was long:
Most of that list is about the building's health, and swimmers won't see much of it. The pipe work is the reason the closure happened at all.
The pool is entering its 60th year of operation. The Lebanon school district owns the building, and the Lebanon Aquatic District leases it for $1 a year. Under that arrangement the pool district pays for upkeep and maintenance through its own taxing district and memberships.
The pool's problems have been on paper since 2019, when a professional evaluation gave it what Lebanon Local described as basically flunking grades, mostly because of the facility's age. Estimates from BLRB Architects and Water Technology Inc. at the time put bare-minimum fixes at about $3 million and a new facility at as much as $27 million. Those were pre-COVID prices. In 2022 the school district asked voters to approve a $20 million bond, with half going to the pool, and it failed. After that, the pool board turned to fundraising for priority repairs.
This year's board took a narrower approach. At its July 13 meeting, board director Darla Bulmer called the old cast iron pipes the biggest risk the pool faces. If they broke, the pool would be closed for a significant amount of time and the repair would be costly. She also said the pipes were in better condition than expected for their age. Lebanon Local's July coverage explained that relining works much like a stent: it seals the pipes from the inside, at an expected cost of $45,000 to $60,000, with a 10-year warranty.
"The cost of that is 5% of what it would cost to dig up the deck, put new pipes, recast the pool, put new gutters, all of that," Bulmer said, as reported by Lebanon Local.
At the July meeting, Bulmer expected the board could pay for the work from existing funds and still have money left for other priority jobs. The tradeoff was that the pool had to be completely closed while it happened. By October, Bulmer told the board the work had cleared the pool's highest-priority repairs. "We basically can say we have reduced all the high risk and all the medium risk, and now we are working on low risk items that can be done over time," she said, according to Lebanon Local.
At the pool board's Sept. 21 meeting, pool director Jill Smith reported that cleanup on the big projects was wrapping up. The new lining still had to cure before the pool could be filled and staff could balance the chlorine and other chemicals. Smith said an Oct. 1 reopening was possible if the chemistry went smoothly. That date has passed. When Lebanon Local reported on Oct. 6, the pool's website said staff were still working on chemistry and temperature.
The Sept. 21 board agenda included a "Grand re-opening" item but no date. As of Oct. 12, the pool's online schedule shows no events through Oct. 15. The only upcoming item is a "Square + Lebanon Community Pool" onboarding Q&A session on Oct. 16, which looks tied to the new point-of-sale system rather than a public swim. The pool's own site is the place to watch for a reopening date. The hours and rates page still lists the standard weekly hours, and the page says prices and schedules are subject to change.
Lebanon's delay matters more this fall because Osborn Aquatic Center in Corvallis is closed too. The city's August 2026 update says Aug. 30 was the last day of regular operations at Otter Beach. After that, the indoor lobby and both outdoor pools closed so crews could prepare for work on the indoor natatorium roof, scheduled to start Sept. 14. The entire facility is expected to stay closed through the repairs, and the city estimates a reopening in fall 2027.
According to the City of Corvallis's Osborn updates page, the Corvallis School District board approved a $5.2 million construction bid from Eagle Mountain Construction in July. The project will permanently repair the roof, replace the HVAC system and bring the building into full safety compliance. As scoped, the district expected a $1.2 million funding gap and was applying for grants and running a capital fundraising campaign.
So Corvallis's pool is closed for about a year and Lebanon's is closed for an unknown number of weeks. For Lebanon swimmers, the next indoor option is up Highway 34 in Albany.
The Albany Community Pool at 2150 36th Ave SE is a 50-meter, Olympic-size pool next to South Albany High School. It's open year-round. It had its own closure this year: Albany Parks & Recreation extended its annual shutdown by a week, to Sept. 14, before reopening. The page was last updated Sept. 18, 2026, and lists this fall schedule:
| Drop-in | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | Tuesday, Thursday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lap swim, morning | 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. | 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. | None |
| Lap swim, midday | Noon to 2 p.m. | Noon to 2 p.m. | Noon to 1 p.m. |
| Lap swim, evening | 6 to 7 p.m. | None | None |
| Rec swim | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | None | 1 to 3 p.m. |
Lebanon residents pay Albany's out-of-city rates. Per session, those are $9 for adults 18 to 54, $8 for seniors 55 and older, and $8 for youth 4 to 17. Children up to age 3 swim free. An out-of-city monthly adult membership for the Albany Community Pool alone is $50 and renews automatically. Adult and senior monthly memberships include fitness classes. The pool also accepts SilverSneakers, Silver&Fit, Grey & Golden and Renew Active insurance benefits, and staff can explain the details.
Before bringing kids, note Albany's rules. A responsible caregiver 16 or older must be present with children under 8. Children 5 and under, and anyone wearing a PFD, must stay within arm's reach of that caregiver everywhere except the zero-depth play area. Snorkels and floaties aren't allowed.
The Sweet Home Community Pool at 1641 Long Street is the other nearby option. Its district page doesn't post current fall hours, so call before making the drive.
The pool board has more work lined up after the reopening. Bulmer told the board she hopes to replace the south-facing windows in November or December. The board has also discussed adding plexiglass to the back doors for more light and installing turf in the patio area next year. As money becomes available, the board expects to replace more flooring in the lobby, offices and storage areas. Other potential plans include adding storage space and switching from chlorine barrels to tanks, which is expected to cut delivery fees. In July, the board was already working on the patio to bring in more events and revenue.
Some help for swimmers is also in the works. At the same meeting, Robert Waterhouse of Friends of Lebanon Pool said his group is ready to sponsor rec swims, along with pool passes that people could borrow from the library. No start dates have been announced. When the pool does reopen, veterans and Lebanon School District employees can still get a 25% discount on 3-month and annual passes, according to the pool's current rates page.
The relined pipes carry a 10-year warranty, and Bulmer has said the major issues are behind the pool. Until a reopening date is posted on lebanonpool.org, the Albany Community Pool's morning lap swim at 5:30 a.m. is the closest confirmed indoor swim.
Questions like how far a home is from a year-round pool, or what a long closure does to a family's routine, come up often when people decide where to live in the mid-valley. Debbie Brand has helped Lebanon and Linn County families with those choices for more than 30 years. Contact Debbie for a personal market consultation and a local's view of the details that matter to your daily life.
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