Underwood Pool's Future at Selectmen on Monday

In between signing the warrant for the September state primary election and granting a business license to a hip hybrid breakfast/mexicana cafe on Trapelo Road, next week the will dip their toes into the increasingly hot water of the historic Underwood Pool.

At its scheduled meeting on Monday, July 2 at 7 p.m., the three members board will hear from Belmont Department of Public Works Director Peter Castinino as he presents an updated version of a memo he wrote six years ago on the ongoing engineering, structural and maintenance issues facing the pool.

Those same concerns pertaining to safety and the pool's out-dated construction were cited by the off the facility's center island.

The action – which resulted in the removal of the diving board that has been a feature of the pool for its 100 years – that resulted in a possible

While Castinino has not returned calls to Belmont Patch on the issue, he has commented as recently as two months ago of his professional concerns that the pool – which just celebrated its centennial anniversary earlier this month – has clearly entered a stage where its future must be discussed.

Castinino has said that it is "only a matter of time" before ground and water pressure buckles the pool's concrete "envelope" resulting in expensive emergency repairs and a long-term closure of the site.

In addition, the Health Department has noted several continuing safety issues at the pool including the condition of the bath house at the oldest municipal outdoor swimming pool in the US.