Diving into potential Hillcrest upgrades

Council considers possible renovations to pool facility

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council this week heard the results of an assessment of Hillcrest Aquatic Center, going over a long list of potential repairs and changes to the facility.

The assessment was done by USA Aquatics Inc. and presented by Dusty Rodiek, director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry, and Stacy Claussen, recreation manager for the city.

The council met in a study session at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the City & County Government Center.

“Overall, I’m happy to report that the facility came back in very good condition,” Rodiek said, crediting current and former staff with the “proper care and maintenance of this facility.”

Some of the recommendations in the report have been ongoing practices for many years already, Rodiek pointed out.

The report also mentions the Aquatic Center is “a valued asset for the community,” Rodiek said.

The report takes note of systems “that are nearing the end of their life cycle,” he said, but that’s normal. “There’s really nothing on this list that’s an emergency situation.”

Priorities

Rodiek and Claussen walked the council through the list of recommendations, which were divided into columns of priorities 1-5, with cost estimates for each.

The Priority 1 list totaled an estimated $128,400, including soft costs. The most expensive item on the list is reconstructing cold joint for the leisure pool, which will run about $36,000. Another item is adding a UV system to the splash pool, which will run about $28,000. The third most expensive item is demolition of the wading pool, which would cost about $20,000.

Rodiek said larger ticket items would go into the Capital Improvement Plan.

“There is a joint in the construction of that leisure pool that is just failing,” Rodiek said. “It’ll get us through another year, but it’s not something we want to leave for three to four years. We want to get that done pretty quickly.”

USA Aquatics wants a UV system added to the splash pool “just because that water is circulated so frequently it doesn’t have the UV exposure like your regular pool water does,” Rodiek said.

Chemicals can control it, but the city has to look at the payoff and how long the systems and facility will last, he said.

USA Aquatics also recommended decommissioning the current wading pool, Rodiek said.

The wading pool has been a free option for many years, Rodiek noted. 

“But it does come with some risks, as well,” he said.

From a safety standpoint, the wading pool is not an area that is actively guarded, he said. 

“That wading pool is also on the same filtration system as our main pool, so there’s the opportunity for cross contamination,” Rodiek said.

Claussen put it less delicately.

“Lot of wet diapers,” she said.

Recommended

Recommended items are operating systems that are starting to age, Rodiek said. The Priority 2 list totals $141,000. 

In almost every area, USA Aquatics mentioned upgrading the chemical controls, he said. That would cost about $7,500 and could be phased in over time.

Being able to monitor the systems and get emergency messages in the case of something like a lightning strike would be much more efficient, Claussen said.

A new high-efficiency pool heater would cost about $38,000. 

“Currently the one we have in there is open flame – not the most efficient model out there,” Rodiek said. “It’s not an enclosed system like your high efficiency heaters would be.”

Repairs for the main pool are estimated at $40,000. This would be every three to five years. 

Priority 3 upgrades total $484,200. 

Installing a new regenerative media filtration system will be about $215,000. 

Right now, staff is in there three to five times a day, checking when temperature is high, when there’s rain or wind, Claussen said. They are back-washing once a week.

“A higher rate of filtration would turn that water over much faster,” Claussen said. 

“Just from a man-hour standpoint, that’s significant,” Rodiek said.

Refinishing the quartz aggregate pool surface will be about $125,000.

A lot of it is in good condition, but there are spots that need refinishing, Rodiek said.

 

Optional

Priority 4 totals $466,200 and Priority 5 totals $894,000. Those are the optional ones with bigger ticket items, Rodiek said.

The most expensive one is relocating the plunge pool and waterslides, which is estimated around $350,000.

“It would be hard to sell me on that idea,” Rodiek said. 

A new splash pad to replace the wading pool will run about $200,000. It could be relocated to keep a free option for the public, Rodiek said.

Expanding the parking area and adding a drop-off lane would run about $150,000. 

The parking lot can get very full in summer, Rodiek said, but there is overflow parking.

“A lot of these in this category would be nice, if we had a money tree,” Rodiek said. 

Council comments

Councilor Patty Bacon asked what, if anything, was now in the CIP. 

The maintenance items would be, but some of the other items would not be, Rodiek said.

City Manager Paul Briseno said the assessment was a good planning document for the future. 

Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne was concerned about decommissioning the wading pool. She asked if there have been any outbreaks of illness or injuries because it’s not guarded all the time.

“I do think there’s a lot of value here in having it be a free amenity,” Tilton Byrne said. “It is something that I think is valuable.”

She didn’t think eliminating the wading pool would eliminate the risk of contamination.

The main pool and the wading pool are on the same system, Claussen said. The main concerns are it’s not guarded all the time and an accident might not be caught right away.

“It’s busy, gets used, so it’s a tough thing to get rid of something that’s free,” Claussen said.

If it would be closed, the staff would prioritize another splash area somewhere else because “it would be imperative to have that free service,” Briseno said. 

Councilor Leah Brink agreed it was important to some segments of the population to have a free feature like that. 

She wanted to know if there could be a fountain where people could play and have fun, but with an added artistic element to it.

Rodiek suggested spray features, “almost organic water interactions,” adding that some areas could be prime for redevelopment.

Tilton Byrne said a splash pad somewhere else where the public could access it was a great idea. She also thinks there’s a lot of value in having a wading pool. She’s not sold on the idea of decommissioning the wading pool

“It sounds kind of like we’re solving a problem we haven’t had yet,” Tilton Byrne said, especially when the wading pool is being used. 

Raising rates

One thing the assessment mentioned was the relatively high subsidy for the facility, Rodiek said. 

The admission rate for this pool has been the same since 2014, he said.

“It’s time to look at user fees,” to help off-set the expenses, Rodiek said.

Mayor Keith Corbett suggested finding scholarships for those that need help, and Claussen said there were scholarships available.

“Many kids use it,” she added.

Briseno asked Rodiek to list the new fees.

The daily user fee will go from $5 to $6, Rodiek said. A family pass will go from $150 to $160. Some program costs for things like lessons will increase slightly, too. 

Brink urged them to consider how many times a family would have to use the pass to make it pay. Families might decide it’s too expensive and just not buy a pass, she said.

Some kids are there every day and it’s a great deal for them, Claussen said.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.