Nearly complete

The process took years.
There was discussion about how best to fix the problem. There was uncertainty about how much money might be available. There was debate about what should be included.
But in May, nearly four years after the issue was raised in these pages, Portland Water Park will open.
As winter approaches, the construction crew is putting the finishing touches on the new $3.21 million facility.
“I think me and a lot of people are like, we wish May was here,” said Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman after a walk through of the facility this month. “We’re getting anxious. And you’ve just got to be patient for a few months, but I’m just excited. When the general public gets a chance to see what we put together, I think they’ll be amazed.”
What has been put together is a 7,750-square foot facility that includes a lap pool, zero entry, two slides, a dump bucket, lily pad walk, lazy river and baby pool as well as a building that houses new restrooms and a concession stand.
It takes the place of Portland Pool, which was 55 years old when it was demolished in the spring.
The idea of replacing Portland Pool had been brought up and then dismissed in a four-month span in 2010 before a story in The Commercial Review in July 2012 detailed the facility’s issues, including crumbling concrete, splitting skimmers, an aging filtration system and leaks. At that time it was estimated that the pool leaked a minimum of one million gallons of water per year.
The story started a new discussion about the state of the pool, and four months later Portland Park Board announced plans to create a committee to research the issue, looking at whether to continue making repairs to the facility, renovate it or build new. That 14-member committee was formed in January 2013, and after 10 months of research that included visiting other pools and consulting with architects and contractors it presented its recommendation: Portland should build a new pool at an estimated cost of $2.75 million.
“Every time we made a stop, there was tremendous pride in those community pools. That was very evident,” said Portland resident Brad DeRome, who served on the committee. “We knew that’s something we wanted. … We wanted something everybody was going to be proud of and we wanted to have the ease of being able to take care of it also.”
That started the process of determining if the funds for such a project were available.
There was frustration at times, with park board members urging city council to commit to the project while council sought clarity about the city’s finances.
Geesaman said his plan was to wait for the private sector to step forward before the city made any financial commitment.
“At the time, you start to wonder whether or not it’s really worth going through that,” said Portland Park Board president Rod Ashman. “I think it’s going to be well worth it. I’m glad we did.”
In January 2014 an article by The Commercial Review detailed that cash reserves in city funds that would be available for such a project totaled $4.82 million, meaning that if Portland kept the advised 15 percent of its annually budgeted amount in each it would still have more than $4.1 million available for a project like a new pool.
A month later council gave $10,000 to hire an architectural firm to create plans to renovate the existing pool or build a new one. When it came to funding the project in full, council in April 2014 voted 4-3 against committing $2.25 million but promised to revisit the issue at its next meeting. Two weeks later, council unanimously voted to pay for 68.4 percent of the new facility with a cap of $2.25 million.
The park board moved forward from there, selecting HWC Engineers to design the water park in July 2014. A fundraising committee was formed the same month.
HWC unveiled plans for the new facility, then dubbed Portland Water Park, in November 2014. There was some contention about the park’s features, including length and depth in some areas and the lack of diving boards, leading to the park board making modifications a month later.
“That’s one of those things where you have to work it out, when you’re trying to get the money and trying to get everybody to agree,” said Ashman. “And of course you’re never going to get everybody to agree, but at least we could come up with something that’s going to work. It’s got everything for everybody. That was our goal to start with.”
The major change was a switch to a “hump-back” design that allowed for diving entries on both ends of the 25-meter competition pool while keeping most of the facility at 42 inches deep. The competition pool is 6 feet deep on the north end and 4 feet deep on the south end.
The zero entry area is at the northeast side of the facility and includes a 60-gallon dump bucket. An 8-foot-wide, 117-foot long lazy river is at the southeast corner, and the lily pad walk is on the south side. Two 20-foot-tall water slides — one open and one enclosed — are located at the southwest corner of the facility.
There will also be a shaded section with chairs along the east side of the facility and a grassy area at the northwest corner. The new building on the north side of the facility includes larger men’s and women’s restrooms, as well as a family restroom, that offer privacy that was lacking from Portland Pool.
“I think the thing that’s really important beforehand there was no privacy,” said Geesaman. “When you see the restrooms, when you see the showers, it’s all designed to give you privacy. It’s nothing fancy, but that stands out to me.”
Portland Park Board chose Zionsville firm RLTurner on April 6 to build the pool at a cost of $3.21 million. It was the lowest of three bidders for the project.
Work moved quickly from there, with a groundbreaking April 22 that marked the beginning of demolition of Portland Pool, which had served the city since 1960. RLTurner and its subcontractors lost about three weeks of work time because of heavy rain and flooding in June and July, which pushed back the projected completion date — Thanksgiving — to mid December.
Construction crews are now working on the final touches for the facility — finishing the roof on the concession stand/restroom building, painting and installing windows and doors — before it will put up the permanent 6-foot-tall chain link fence. One item — applying the concrete finish — will be left until the spring, as it needs about a month to dry and cure.
Such facilities have become somewhat of a speciality for RLTurner, which has completed similar projects in Lebanon, Kokomo, Lafayette and Greenwood.
“I guess you would kind of think concrete’s concrete, but there are tiny little things, ins and outs, that if you havne’t done it, it can catch you,” said superintendent Lee Leadbetter. “It’s got to hold water, so you’ve got to just take care and do it right that way.”
Before a final design had even been selected for the facility, the fundraising committee headed by John Young and Rob Weaver was nearly at its goal. It had raised more than $950,000 by mid-November 2014, and has since surpassed its $1 million goal. A big chunk of that came with a $250,000 pledge from The Portland Foundation.
Fundraising is now at $1.125 million from 141 donors, with about another $55,000 in pledges that have not yet been collected.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Young, noting that pledges will be accepted through the end of the year and those who donate will have their name on a plaque at the new facility. “We had an incredible team that worked very hard.
“It was just one of the most satisfying things I can recall. It was very positive.”
The committee will make a final push, targeting several businesses in hopes of closing a funding gap of to cover engineering and design costs.  City council on Nov. 16 appropriated $268,105 to pay for those services while hoping that additional private fundraising might allow that number to shrink.
Individuals interested in donating can do so at The Portland Foundation, 112 E. Main St.
“We’re going to have another push to see if we can close the gap with private funding,” said Geesaman. “We have a couple of companies we’re going to reach out to.”
As the project comes to a close, those involved are on the same page. They’re happy with the final product and excited about getting to show it off to the community.
They’ll get that opportunity in late May as the grand opening is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
“I think the facility, people are going to be impressed with it,” said Ashman, “because I was impressed with it, even knowing what was going to be there.”