PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City councilors will meet Monday to discuss the proposed Presque Isle Community Center campaign after bids for the project came in this week as much as $1.5 million higher than anticipated.
Deputy City Manager Martin Puckett said Friday that the city put 12 options out to bid for the proposed building, outdoor pool and splash pad featuring interactive water spraying stations.
Officials previously estimated construction costs at $7 million for the community center and $1.5 million for the outdoor pool and splash pad.
Although bids were solicited for construction of the facility and water structures together as one package, Puckett said that some of the different options included installation of gym equipment and building on of several different rooms that affected the final price tag.
City Clerk Bev Labbe said Friday that some of the bids rose as high as $10 million.
“We were disappointed because we were hoping they would be lower,” said Puckett. “We got the bids out early and had a variety of construction options. But we did not study them in great detail. They were opened and our city councilors will be studying them with the engineers and discussing them in detail Monday night.”
The new center is to be located on 8 acres on Chapman Street. The site was chosen because it’s near downtown, the bicycle path and Riverside Park, which is where the department runs its soccer program. Plans call for a 30,000-square-foot, single-story facility that will feature a walking track, gymnasium, locker, meeting rooms, space for citizen groups and other amenities.
The William V. Haskell Community Center was built in 1964 as a place where youths and adults could gather to exercise, hold meetings and conduct other activities. But city officials say the three roofs on the building are leaking, floor joists are beginning to rot, the electrical service is outdated, asbestos is in the walls and ceiling panels, and the chimney is cracked and breaking up, among other problems.
The council voted in December 2013 to close the city’s 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 problems the city decided would be too expensive to overcome.
Labbe said Friday that fundraising has garnered $269,066 in actual donations on top of $2.4 million in pledged donations over 10 years.
Chris Beaulieu, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, said that “donors have been very generous” to the committee despite the economy.
“I think people recognize that this is a big goal, but an important one,” he said. “We have had a lot of help from personal and business donations, the Presque Isle Rotary Auction and more.”
Kimberly Smith, grant writer for the city, announced on Wednesday that Emera Maine had donated $30,000 to the proposed community center. That donation came on the heels of another $30,000 contributed by Key Bank on April 3.
Councilors will continue their discussion of funding for the project at the next council meeting on Monday.
Information about the Presque Isle Community Center project may be seen at www.picommunitycenter.com.