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Charles City Parks & Rec board tours empty pool, looks to facility’s future

  • Charles City Parks and Recreation Board Chairman Jeff Otto (pointing) asks a question of Parks and Rec Director Tyler Mitchell (in pool) regarding the condition of the steps in the splash pool at the base of the water slide at the Lions Field Pool, in this photo from the board's June meeting. Press file photo by Bob Steenson

  • Charles City Parks and Rec Director Tyler Mitchell talks with members of the Parks and Recreation Board regarding cracks, leaks and other problems with the pool at Lions Field during a board meeting in June 2020 when the pool was closed because of the pandemic. Press file photo by Bob Steenson

  • Charles City Parks and Recreation Board member Dennis Peterson (left) talks with Mayor Dean Andrews about the newly refurbished water slide that has been installed at the Charles City pool at Lions Field. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Members of the Charles City Parks and Recreation Board and Parks and Rec Director Tyler Mitchell talk about structural problems with the Lions Field Pool in this file photo from 2020 when the pool was closed because of the pandemic. Press photo by Bob Steenson

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Members of the Charles City Parks and Recreation Board took a virtual dip in the Lions Field Pool at their meeting last week.

The pool is closed this season because of COVID-19 concerns, so members of the board were able to examine the aquatic center without it being full of water.

Board members have known for several years now that the 29-year-old facility is in need of extensive repairs — or replacement.

Parks and Rec Director Tyler Mitchell took the board members on a walk-through of the facility at their meeting Thursday afternoon last week. Mostly he pointed out leaking cracks and joints in the pool — some that have been repaired before and are failing again — and missing or cracked tiles.

Charles City Mayor Dean Andrews asked at the meeting if this is a common condition for pools this age.

Board members responded that many pools the age of the Charles City facility have been closed, and the city has “squeaked a few extra years” out of the Lions Field Pool.

Mitchell said it’s becoming limited on what can be done to patch leaks.

“The only thing we can do now is cut that whole section out and put in new concrete, but now we’ve just created two seams instead of one,” he said. One repair that was made like that three years ago appears to be holding up for now, Mitchell said, but he isn’t sure how much longer it will last.

To try to patch the pool to get it ready for the swimming season next year “is probably going to be anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000 to patch all those areas,” he said.

Also, the splash pool at the base of the water slide has serious cracking on the tiles on the steps, to the point that it’s a safety issue, Mitchell said. Fixing that will cost additional from his patching estimate.

Board member Dennis Petersen said the options are to spend a lot of money to try and fix the current pool, or spend a lot more money to either rebuild it on the current site or to build a completely new facility somewhere else.

Mitchell said, “It doesn’t have to be a total new job but it has to be almost a total gut job, for everything mechanical, everything underneath. Everything would have to be replaced. We’re not looking at doing renovations or partial and have this problem in 10 years again. We’re looking to get another 25 to 30 years out of our next pool.”

Andrews said the city and the YMCA have talked for many years about whether they should go together in building a new pool, and the time has come to have that discussion seriously and decide “yup, that’s what we’re gonna do, or nope, that’s what we’re not going to do, and quit talking about it.”

Several board members said they would not favor any plan that did not include an outdoor pool.

“We have to have an outdoor pool. Period. The end,” one member said, as others agreed.

Mitchell and Andrews both said they would talk with representatives of the YMCA to see if someone wants to attend the Parks and Rec board meeting next month.

Mitchell said the tour of the aquatic center Thursday was a starting point, and now the board can move ahead with more long-range discussions.

One aspect of the pool that is in new condition is the water slide. Even though the splash pool it empties into needs considerable work on its steps, the slide itself has been completely refurbished after having spent the winter at Fischer Bros. LLC in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

The fiberglass slide received a new gel coat and paint, and the metal support structure was completely replaced with new galvanized steel after rust and structural problems were identified last swimming season, Mitchell said.

The slide even got new steps after the refurbishing company noticed some of the welds were beginning to break where water pooled on the steps, he said.

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