|

Council Mulls Pool Renovations: Committee Will Be Established To Study The Possibility

By Doug Carder

Renovating the Osawatomie city pool would cost up to $2.7 million. But the work could be completed in phases.

David Burbach, with Burbach Aquatics Inc. Architects and Engineers, provided a written assessment of the pool’s needs, as well as estimated construction costs of the renovation project, to the Osawatomie City Council at its Sept. 23 work session.

Burbach told the council the pool, which opened in 1963, was designed to last 40 years.

“The pool is 47 years old, and the design life is 40, so you’ve got good value out of the pool,” Burbach said.

The aquatics expert said the pool’s bathhouse is beautifully designed but would be difficult to renovate.

“We recommend building a new bathhouse, rather than trying to renovate the existing one,” Burbach said. “We also recommend moving the site of the existing bathhouse.”

With renovations to filtering and pump systems, fixing water leaks, refurbishing the pool vessel, pool decks and a host of other needs, the price tag comes in around $2.7 million.

“The water is safe, but ideally the pool should circulate 682 gallons per minute, and it circulates about 500 gallons per minute,” Burbach said of the dated pump and filter system.

Burbach said the work could be completed in phases or all at once.

Council members asked what the cost would be to start from scratch.

“You’re probably looking at another $500,000 ($3.2 million total) to redo the whole thing,” he said.

Burbach said a pool has four uses: recreation, wellness, education and competition.

Burbach acknowledged that small communities struggle to break even with their pools. While not a moneymaker, a pool can enhance the quality of life.

“A pool can be a social center of the community,” he said.

Ron Maring, director of park and recreation, told the council the pool’s average attendance this season was about 50 to 60 people, which equates to about 1 percent of the community’s population.

“For those who come to our pool, we don’t have a lot to offer,” Maring said of the pool’s amenities.

Renovations could provide a springboard for increased daily attendance. The pool’s capacity is 336 persons.

“I would like to serve more than 1 percent of the population,” Mayor Phil Dudley said.

The council plans to establish a pool committee at its next meeting, which would be charged with studying a possible renovation and bringing its recommendations to the council.

Short URL: http://osawatominews.com/?p=388

Posted by Doug on Sep 29 2010. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Leave a Reply

*