HOISINGTON — On Monday the Hoisington City Council approved a $2.6 million proposal from the city pool advisory board for the replacement of the municipal swimming pool. Water’s Edge Aquatic Design out of Lenexa has been employed to draft the remodeling of the pool, following several months of collaboration with the advisory board.
Jeff Bartley, principal engineer with Water’s Edge, told the council that the first phase of the redesign will be to put conceptions to print, a process which will take about two to three months. In the meantime, the city will put out bids for contractors for the actual construction process, which, according to Bartley, could begin in September.
“Most projects of this scope are usually done during the pool’s off-season to ensure the new pool is ready for the next season,” said Bartley. “After visiting with the advisory board, we believe we can have a new pool ready by May, 2022.”
Some of the amenities of the new pool feature a splash pad, a diving board, a speed slide with runoff, six lap lanes, a wet deck and a water walk. Other features include a renovated bathhouse and bathrooms, a secondary entrance to the splash pool and flush deck sprays.
The current pool was built in 1962 and had some minor renovation work done in the 1990s.
“As old as the current pool is, it’s really a traditional setup and lacks the modern features a new pool would offer,” Bartley said. According to Bartley, the new pool would have a longevity of 30 to 40 years, while pumps would have a service life of 15 years. “Obviously there’s not a set lifespan because different pieces of equipment wear out faster than others but the actual pool structure should be up to 40 years,” he said. “The bathhouse could also potentially have a 40-year lifespan.”
One issue that was discussed during Bartley’s presentation was the volatility related to cost and availability of materials. “Right now there has been a lot of volatility with materials,” said Bartley. “That could be a potential issue at some point.” He added that completing the design phase and putting out construction bids are important initial steps. “Then you’ll see. If you find out contractors aren’t bidding, for whatever reason, then you can always fall back, make adjustments and re-bid at a later date.”
Bartley has overseen pool projects in Wichita, Dodge City, Hesston, Lyons and Great Bend.
Water’s Edge Aquatic Design also has a local connection to Hoisington. Local engineer Dave Schwartz is one of the founders of the Lenexa-based company. Schwartz has worked in the engineering field since 1972, specializing in aquatic planning and design.
In other business from Monday’s meeting, the council:
• Approved abatements of conditions for properties at 451 W. 4th St., 851 W. 2nd St. and 770 W. 2nd St.
• City manager Jonathan Mitchell updated the council on city COVID-related precautions, staffing updates, the development feasibility study, child care concerns, a sign issue, the fire house on S. Pine, the bike share program and the fire house on North Main Street.
