Charles City Parks & Rec Board looks at feature options for pool renovation

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Parks and Recreation Board looked at many different features that could be added to the existing outdoor swimming pool at Lion’s Field as part of a renovation project, during the board’s meeting Wednesday evening.

The options were presented by Andy Pennekamp, a professional engineer with JEO Consulting Group of Ankeny, who asked the board members which of the features they liked the best.

“All the above,” was the consensus answer.

The board asked Pennekamp to come back with potential costs for many of the options to be installed in the existing pool, so members can weigh the attractiveness of the options against their potential cost.

High on the list of favorites were a splash pad; a “ninja course” which is a type of obstacle course over water; a short zip line feature that can fling participants into the water; a climbing wall; and even a mini “lazy river” course that could wind its way out then back into the pool, or could be created within the area of the existing pool.

Other options included a drop slide that ends several feet above water level; various play features for younger kids that could have fountains, jets and water dumps; floatables that are anchored to the bottom of the pool; and a family slide that is wide enough for several people to go down at the same time.

City Administrator Steve Diers, who is in the middle of budget work with the City Council, cautioned that one consideration had to be whether features would require additional lifeguards to monitor them during use.

“The operational standpoint is most important,” Diers advised the Parks & Rec Board at the beginning of the meeting. “Keep this expense-neutral. Anything extra we spend (on additional personnel) we have to bring in extra revenue for.”

Many of the features, especially those that would be installed in deeper water, would require a dedicated lifeguard to monitor them, Pennekamp said.

Tyler Mitchell, the Charles City Parks and Recreation Department director, suggested that features could alternate being open, with lifeguards rotating to monitor the ones that are running.

But board members were not fond of that idea, arguing that if people came because they are interested in specific features then find those features aren’t running during the time they are there, they would be upset.

Phoebe Pittman, the City Council liaison to the Parks Board, and also a middle school teacher, said she is concerned about adding attractions for older kids, and mentioned the climbing wall or zip line.

Members of the board also briefly discussed whether one or both of the existing diving boards should be removed to make room for new features in the deep end of the pool.

At a meeting in October, Pennekamp had told the board that the existing pool was in good enough condition that it could be rejuvenated. Some things, such as replacing seams in the pool, changing the chlorination system and changing and/or relocating pumps, are necessary fixes, he said.

But in addition to repairing what’s already there, the almost 32-year-old pool could be made to seem new again by adding as many features as the board wants and that it can find the funding for.

The JEO engineer had previously said the needed renovations at the pool would cost about $1.3 million, compared with the price of a new pool that would start at about $4 million and could run much higher, depending on size, location, features, etc.

The next phase, where the Parks and Rec Board is now, is deciding what new features or changes the board wants to add to the pool; coming up with a funding plan; and developing a timeline for public information, funding and construction.

A bond referendum is one likely source of funding, and the board talked with Pennekamp about a timeline that could lead to a referendum in September, construction beginning in the fall of 2024 and opening for the season in the summer of 2025.

Also at the meeting Wednesday, the board received an update from Mitchell about the year at Wildwood Golf Course. He said the course actually made about $6,000 profit in 2022, largely because of a significant increase in the number of events held both on the course and in the clubhouse ballroom.

Mitchell said a structural engineer had given the ballroom a close inspection and had determined it is safe to use, but that potential problems should be addressed. In the past, problems that have been identified include the shifting foundation because the ballroom supports are resting on the ground rather than footings, doors and windows that no longer operate smoothly, and the overall concern that the ballroom is built with just siding nailed to studs and no insulation or other provisions for year-round use.

Mitchell said he is in the process of getting estimates for the cost for repairs, and then the board can decide if it wants to renovate the historic structure or build something new. He indicated it’s likely that the cost of renovation will be higher than building new, but said that is only a guess.