Hole opens under pool at new gym near King of Prussia

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (WPVI) -- There's bad news for a brand new, state-of-the-art gym near King of Prussia.

Just three months after Lifetime Athletic opened its doors on Swedesford Road, part of the facility had to be shut down as a hole opened up under its indoor pool.

The hole occurred suddenly last weekend. The coping and adjacent deck area collapsed at one corner of the indoor pool.

An image of the hole was posted on the gym's membership Facebook page.

Lifetime Athletics member Sean Scott estimated the amount of the drop as about 1.5 to 2 feet below the deck.

According to a Lifetime spokesman, it appears the collapse triggered by water eroding the soil beneath the pool deck.

The pool has been drained and demolition is scheduled for this weekend.

In an email to members, there was no mention of the collapse, but a notice that the inside pools are closed and the complex's outdoor pools will extend their season until the end of September.

Swim lessons for children normally held inside have been canceled.

The source of the water that caused the erosion inside, however, remains unclear.

One theory is that there was an undetected leak in the pool's pipes.

But there could be a natural cause. This area of the western suburbs near the 202 corridor has a history of sinkholes. PennDOT and developers have long battled collapses.

The ground in the area is laced with small underground streams and soluble limestone deposits that can combine to create large washouts.

The possibility of a sinkhole is not a surprise to Scott.

"It does not surprise me one bit. It's very common in this area, especially King of Prussia," Scott said.

Lifetime Athletic says because of the propensity of sinkhole issues in the region, the complex's foundation points were reinforced during construction.

----------

Send a breaking news alert
Report a correction or typo
Learn more about the 6abc apps