EAST PALESTINE — Those anticipating the opening of the village’s public pool in the park have to wait longer due to a delay in the arrival of necessary specialized equipment.

The village notified the public via social media on Tuesday that the pool’s opening date has been delayed, with a date yet to be determined.

The village originally hoped to hold a grand opening for the renovated new pool over Memorial Day weekend, but that was also delayed due to weather.

“Despite heavy snowfall and an unusually wet spring, Village staff, contractors, and project partners have worked diligently to keep this project on schedule, and the pool facility is now substantially complete,” the village said in the statement posted to its Facebook page Tuesday.

Also in that statement it was announced that the village received “difficult news this week regarding one final, critical component: the pool’s permanent electrical panel.”

The village explained that this specialized equipment must be manufactured, tested, shipped, and installed before the last construction steps can be finished. “Permanent electrical service must be in place before the pool can be plastered, filled, and finally inspected by the State of Ohio. Unfortunately, the shipment of this panel has been delayed beyond control of the Village and the contractors on-site, despite repeated assurances and revised delivery estimates,” the village said.

As a result the pool opening date is now undetermined, with earlier possible opening in mid-July, according to the social media post.

All seasonal employees were notified prior to the public announcement, the village said.

“Despite everyone’s best efforts to move this project along as quickly as possible, there are some things that are out of our control. What we can control, is how we move forward and how we communicate the facts on the ground to our community,” Village Manager Antonio Diaz-Guy said when contacted by this reporter.

“Ultimately, this facility is world class and will be an excellent asset for the village and will complement and enhance all the other projects we have going on,” he added.