July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Pool project pitched
Portland Park Board
Pool project pitched
A new pool in a new location could be in the cards for the city of Portland.
Drawings and a possible funding source for a new pool at Hudson Family Park were presented to the Portland Park Board Tuesday night.
Park board members were receptive to the idea and voted to set the project in motion.
Barry Hudson, who donated the land for Hudson Family Park to the city, told board members that he obtained quotes for a new pool and a new bathhouse that totaled $1,760,600.
City officials are considering bonding for some of the cost of the pool, which would have to go through the bidding process.
Hudson recently formed a committee that has been researching and brainstorming about getting a new pool for the city. The current pool - located at Weiler-Wilson Park - is about 50 years old, and its cracks and chips must be repaired each year. A leak in the pool drains hundreds of gallons each month.
Park board members have talked for several years about how to maintain the old pool, and of the possibility of getting a new pool. Pricy pool liners have been considered, but board members thought the cost was too great.
"I think this is wonderful and I can see myself swimming in this," board member Shauna Runkle said of the proposal.
"I know, privately, our dream was to put in a new pool and a sprinkle area for kids" at Hudson Family Park, said board member Sharon Bubp. "We have tried to maintain that (old) pool. We do something every year."
"And it's getting tougher each time," said park board president Neil Medler.
"As far as I'm concerned, bid it. I'm ready," Medler added.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said he has been doing some research on the possibility of bonding for part of the cost of the pool and for the remaining cost of Hudson Family Park. The rest of the cost of the pool could be funded by donations, he said.
"Our goal is, and will continue to be, that we can bond without raising one penny in taxes," Hosier said. "This needs to be a community effort and partnership."
Details of the finance plan - including how the city could bond without raising taxes - and cost estimates for the remaining park work were not available this morning.
The city recently paid a majority of the cost of the most recent phase of the park project - which included a pond and sledding hill - through cumulative capital development funds and the sewage depreciation fund, city clerk-treasurer Randy Geesaman said this morning.
Hudson solicited a $1,269,000 quote for the new pool from Spear Corporation, Indianapolis. The quote was for a 25-meter pool with eight lanes. There would be a slide and low diving board at one end of the pool, and a water feature at the other end of the pool for smaller children in a shallow area.
Hudson also received a quote from Limberlost Construction, Geneva, to build a new pool building - including restrooms, office and storage spaces, and a new pump house. This quote was $491,600.
Current plans call for the pool to be located in the center of the park, between a parking area and a proposed amphitheater. That area was originally proposed as a location for a new street and park department headquarters.
McClung said the park board is going to have to answer some tough questions from the public, such as whether or not the city really needs a new pool, and if the city even needs a pool at all.
"This is about city and family ... what kind of level we want to take the city of Portland to," Hosier said. "It's about these kids," he said, gesturing to teenagers in the audience. "It's about this community. I'm glad it's a problem that we have to try to solve."
Also Tuesday, board members:
•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, report that the city's five-year plan for the park system will expire on Jan. 15, 2011. He said work on a new plan has already begun.
•Learned that the ice skating area a Hudson Family Park is ready.
Harker said some tiles have been put down and the water has been applied. The rink is located across from the sledding hill, in the area that is planned for the new pool.[[In-content Ad]]
Drawings and a possible funding source for a new pool at Hudson Family Park were presented to the Portland Park Board Tuesday night.
Park board members were receptive to the idea and voted to set the project in motion.
Barry Hudson, who donated the land for Hudson Family Park to the city, told board members that he obtained quotes for a new pool and a new bathhouse that totaled $1,760,600.
City officials are considering bonding for some of the cost of the pool, which would have to go through the bidding process.
Hudson recently formed a committee that has been researching and brainstorming about getting a new pool for the city. The current pool - located at Weiler-Wilson Park - is about 50 years old, and its cracks and chips must be repaired each year. A leak in the pool drains hundreds of gallons each month.
Park board members have talked for several years about how to maintain the old pool, and of the possibility of getting a new pool. Pricy pool liners have been considered, but board members thought the cost was too great.
"I think this is wonderful and I can see myself swimming in this," board member Shauna Runkle said of the proposal.
"I know, privately, our dream was to put in a new pool and a sprinkle area for kids" at Hudson Family Park, said board member Sharon Bubp. "We have tried to maintain that (old) pool. We do something every year."
"And it's getting tougher each time," said park board president Neil Medler.
"As far as I'm concerned, bid it. I'm ready," Medler added.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said he has been doing some research on the possibility of bonding for part of the cost of the pool and for the remaining cost of Hudson Family Park. The rest of the cost of the pool could be funded by donations, he said.
"Our goal is, and will continue to be, that we can bond without raising one penny in taxes," Hosier said. "This needs to be a community effort and partnership."
Details of the finance plan - including how the city could bond without raising taxes - and cost estimates for the remaining park work were not available this morning.
The city recently paid a majority of the cost of the most recent phase of the park project - which included a pond and sledding hill - through cumulative capital development funds and the sewage depreciation fund, city clerk-treasurer Randy Geesaman said this morning.
Hudson solicited a $1,269,000 quote for the new pool from Spear Corporation, Indianapolis. The quote was for a 25-meter pool with eight lanes. There would be a slide and low diving board at one end of the pool, and a water feature at the other end of the pool for smaller children in a shallow area.
Hudson also received a quote from Limberlost Construction, Geneva, to build a new pool building - including restrooms, office and storage spaces, and a new pump house. This quote was $491,600.
Current plans call for the pool to be located in the center of the park, between a parking area and a proposed amphitheater. That area was originally proposed as a location for a new street and park department headquarters.
McClung said the park board is going to have to answer some tough questions from the public, such as whether or not the city really needs a new pool, and if the city even needs a pool at all.
"This is about city and family ... what kind of level we want to take the city of Portland to," Hosier said. "It's about these kids," he said, gesturing to teenagers in the audience. "It's about this community. I'm glad it's a problem that we have to try to solve."
Also Tuesday, board members:
•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, report that the city's five-year plan for the park system will expire on Jan. 15, 2011. He said work on a new plan has already begun.
•Learned that the ice skating area a Hudson Family Park is ready.
Harker said some tiles have been put down and the water has been applied. The rink is located across from the sledding hill, in the area that is planned for the new pool.[[In-content Ad]]
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