Last modified: Thursday, August 2, 2007 1:26 AM EDT Spatcher Pool at Hayward Field in Attleboro sits empty Wednesday, after the state promised to fix it for use this summer. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) Still high and dry BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - State officials announced with great fanfare last year that the closed Spatcher Pool would reopen this summer after a $1.2 million renovation. In fact, they promised the pool would be better than ever. It would be transformed from a deep-water pool for diving and swimming laps into a child-friendly miniature water park. But money problems have delayed the work. Instead of opening this summer, the pool remains closed and renovations have not even started. There is no target date to start the project. Wendy Fox, spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said the project has been put off because bids on the construction project came in at almost $1.8 million, and only $1.2 million is available. She also said the bid process took longer than expected. The department is looking for the balance of the money to pay for the work. The design portion of the project has already been completed, she said. State Rep. John Lepper, R-Attleboro, helped get the department to free up the $1.2 million last year to fund the project. He said he is fairly confident the problem can be resolved, but was waiting to hear from the department about the details. Several state officials attended a ceremony at the pool last year to announce funding for the renovations. They said the Attleboro pool off North Avenue in Hayward Field would serve as a model for eight other closed state pools. The renovations would includes new walls, floor, plumbing and mechanics. And they said the structure of the pool would be changed so that it would be shallow, with a maximum depth of 4 feet, instead of the current 12 feet. It would also be outfitted with umbrella-shaped sprinklers and a slide. The Spatcher Pool is one of nine across the state that have been closed for several years because they fell into disrepair. The Pioneer Institute in Boston this week released a report detailing how state government does not properly maintain its buildings, roads, bridges, transit system and other facilities. The lack of maintenance leads to much larger and more costly problems, leaving the state with a backlog of $17 billion worth of major repairs. "Clearly the reason that pool was closed was deferred maintenance," said Steve Poftak, a researcher for the Pioneer Institute. He said state agencies have no incentive to spend money on maintenance, so they put all their money into programs and new buildings. The agencies wait until there are major problems with facilities before seeking to have the state take care of them, he said. Agencies should be required to set aside some of their budgets for maintenance, Poftak said. Fox said the Attleboro pool is still first on the state's list for renovation. The other closed pools are awaiting funding, design work or decisions from local officials on how to proceed. The city of Attleboro has agreed to operate the Spatcher Pool when it reopens. Meanwhile, three city-owed pools on the East Side and Dodgeville and South Attleboro sections of the city have been open all summer, Recreation Director Dennis Walsh said.