The Merrill Park and Recreation Commission has decided to hold another public hearing to gather citizen input on the location of a new outdoor pool. The hearing will likely be held in April, noted Park and Recreation Director Dan Wendorf.
The commission last week reviewed a concept comparison report from Becher Hoppe Engineers and Architects, comparing the costs of three different concepts at two different locations. The two locations being considered are Stange’s Park and the Merrill Area Recreation Complex (MARC). Because Stange’s Park is located in a flood fringe area, the cost of building there would be greater, but building at the MARC moves the pool farther from the city’s population center.
“The question is do we want to go centrally located or build for less at the MARC,” Wendorf said.
DNR regulations require more expensive site preparation at Stange’s Park due to the flood fringe issue.
Becher Hoppe presented the three concepts. Concept A, which would be the most expensive, includes a leisure pool, splash pad, slide complex, drop slide/3M board, 1M diving board, water play features and a 5,500 square foot building. The water square footage would be 11,200 and the occupant capacity would be 550. The cost of building Concept A at Stange’s Park is estimated at $7,230.725 compared to $6,036,350 at the MARC. Building at Stange’s would cost an estimated $1,194,375 more.
Concept B is the least expensive concept, including a leisure pool, slide complex, drop slide/3M board, 1M diving board, water play features and a 3,400 square foot building. The water square footage would be 5,000 and the occupant capacity would be 250. The cost to build Concept B at Stange’s Park is estimated at $4,259,725, versus $3,604,475 at the MARC, making the Stange’s site $655,250 more expensive.
Concept C, a hybrid of the other two concepts, includes a leisure pool, slide complex, drop slide/3M board, 1M diving board, water play features, future splash pad and a 4,000 square foot building. The water square footage would be 6,000 square feet with an occupant capacity of 300. The cost for Concept C at Stange’s Park is estimated at $5,076,550, compared to $4,117,100 at the MARC, for a difference of $959,450.
At Stange’s Park, the new aquatic center would be built along Third Street, between the current pool parking lot and the Prairie River, covering the area where the existing pool is. At the MARC, the aquatic center would be located north of the Smith Center.