Mapleheightspress.com - Pool construction ready to get under way

by Tim Troglen

Reporter

Maple Heights -- If things work out the way city planners expect, residents will be splashing around in joyful wetness at Stafford Park in just over a year.

The pools at Dunham and Stafford parks, which have been closed for three years because of a lack of city funds, are scheduled to be demolished later this year, with a new pool being built at Stafford Park and ready for use next year.

"I'm expecting to go out for bids the week of Memorial Day," City Engineer Ed Hren said May 6. "The plan is for demolition to start toward the end of June."

While he didn't give a time frame for the completion of the demolition, he said it would be "a short process."

"Then we will work on new plans for the pool and bid the project at the end of July or beginning of August," he said.

Hren said, after the bids come in, he expects construction to begin close to the end of September or the beginning of October. He also said the concrete walls of the Stafford pool will be saved as support for the new pool.

Hren said a liner will be placed over the existing concrete walls, saving time and money.

"A lot of work will be done in the fall and winter with the contractors gearing up to finish in the spring and be ready for a June 2009 opening," he said.

Hren said the demolition estimates are around $250,000 to $300,000 combined for both pools and $1 million for the construction of the Stafford Park pool.

"But we won't know the actual costs until we go out to bid," he said.

Earlier this year Council approved both the demolition and construction of the pools.

According to Hren, it would have taken at least $100,000 to make needed repairs to the Stafford pool -- and maybe more.

Hren said he both pools were built around 1960.

The recreation committee and Council took his suggestion to demolish the pools. He said the current pools have towers and diving boards, which insurance companies may not allow, and neither pool is handicapped accessible. Both would need to be brought up to code at additional cost.

Mayor Jeff Lansky added that the Southeast YMCA in Bedford is interested in helping the city to staff and run the pool, which could help keep costs down.

Lansky said there are several special funds the city can use to help pay for the project.

He also said much of the work could be done "in house," saving money paid to outside contractors. He said the city could even explore getting a loan for the project.

Hren said the city can also apply for grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to help defray the cost of demolishing and rebuilding a pool.

E-mail: TTroglen@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3165