PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — One year after closing its aged indoor pool because of a variety of health, safety and financial problems, the City Council has taken steps to build a brand new, upgraded pool and splash area they say will be safer and will ease the financial strain and problems caused by the defunct 80-year-old pool.
The council decided Sept. 3 to authorize bids for the project, which will cost $1.5 million and will come from municipal and private funds.
“I think its going to be a great addition to the city,” Chris Beaulieu, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said Wednesday.
A splash pad is a series of interactive water features, such as overhanging fixtures designed to look like flowers and elephants, that spray water. Other features are at ground level. The new pool will include a slide, similar to the old pool.
Officials are still trying to figure out the exact location for the water extravaganza on 8 acres on Chapman Street, Beaulieu said. Plans could include rerouting the roadway. Regardless, he said the pool and splash pad will be at the same location.
The bids are expected to be reviewed in October.
The council voted in December 2013 to close the more than 80-year-old outdoor pool because of safety concerns and funding problems. The outdoor pool was five times larger than a normal indoor pool, and it drew an estimated 300 people to swim there during a warm day. But the 900,000 gallon pool cost between $25,000 and $30,000 to run each summer. It had no filtration system, and the main drain culvert and retaining wall had safety issues the city decided would be too expensive to overcome.
Beaulieu said several different designs for the pool and splash pad were considered before they ultimately decided to construct a much smaller pool than the 900,000 gallon pool. For example, the filtration system for the new pool and splash pad will use a recycled water system so the water is not wasted into a drain, according to Beaulieu.
“We believe that the splash pad will take a lot of pressure off the pool,” he said. “We won’t really need as much pool, because kids are going to be over in the splash pad.”
Beaulieu said the city believes the annual cost of maintaining the new pool and splash pad will be comparable to the cost of maintaining the old pool. He said no staff will be needed at the splash pad, which will cut down on the cost of lifeguards.
This project is part of a longer term venture for the community. The Presque Isle community center campaign committee is working to raise $3.5 million in private donations to garner a matching contribution from the city that will allow for the construction of the $7 million community center, outdoor pool and splash pad.
The community center would include a large, multi-use gymnasium, offices and spaces for all ages, including toddler, teen and senior rooms.
In a referendum in 2012, local voters approved the project, allowing the city to proceed with plans to build the new center, but only after fundraising efforts bring in a minimum of half the estimated project cost.
Beaulieu said this week the city was motivated to construct the pool and splash pad area first because of the amount of time that passed without having a working outdoor pool for children and youth in the city.
Construction on the pool and splash pad is scheduled to begin in April or May 2015 and is expected to take 14-16 weeks to complete.