EWING — For kids in the western part of Lee County, there might be one less thing to do this summer. A sinkhole was discovered under the public swimming pool behind Thomas Walker High School in Ewing, Va., and the Lee Co. Board of Supervisors decided to close the pool, until the situation could be looked at in greater detail.

Engineer Bobby Lane of The Lane Group inspected the sinkhole and offered his findings to the Board at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday.

“I don’t have reason to believe the pool is leaking,” said Lane, who described the sinkhole as “active” and said that while the cavity is not very large, the hole becomes much bigger underneath. He recommended the county continue to close the pool until a geotechnical survey was done to inspect the situation.

“It’s a very serious situation,” said Lane. “Very dangerous.”

But Lane said the real danger could come from another sinkhole

“Potentially, another one could be nearby, gauging the frequency of sinkholes,” in the area, said Lane. Sinkholes are a common occurrence in regions like this one where limestone rock is common. He said the county was fortunate the sinkhole happened in the pool’s off-season.

While Lane could not give a precise figure to fix the problem, he gave an estimate cost of $25-30,000. But if another sinkhole is found to be beneath the pool, disrupting the structural base, the cost could then skyrocket.

Board Chairman Carl Bailey, who represents the western end of the county, said that the Board should do everything they can to keep this pool open, adding that there just wasn’t much for kids to do in the western portion of the county. He said he’d already spoken to kids interested in working at the pool.

“If it’s not too expensive, I hope we get something done,” said Bailey.

Lee County currently only has one public swimming pool in Pennington Gap. Jonesville’s pool has remained closed due to a drain on county funds.