Indoor, outdoor or retractable roof?
Annapolis weighs wide variety of swimming pool replacement ideas
The City of Annapolis is moving forward with a request to replace the aging Truxtun Park Pool — though exactly what that request will look like is uncertain.
City Manager Teresa Sutherland said she is meeting with Public Works Director David Jarrell and procurement officer Brian Snyder to determine the feasibility of putting out a request asking potential bidders to provide pricing for multiple different pool replacements.
“It may not be as the design for an in-kind replacement pool is a very different than the design for an indoor pool with a therapeutic pool and bubble,” Sutherland wrote in an email. “It’s time-consuming and costly for bidders to put together two very different designs, so they may not respond to the [request].”
The City Council met earlier this month to discuss the public pool, which provides seasonal visitors with a place to splash and swim at a daily rate. It is the only public outdoor pool in the county, although Anne Arundel County operates two public indoor pools.
Officials say the pool and its facilities need repair. The bathhouse does not meet American Disabilities Act standards and the pool itself has undergone work for leaks and malfunctions.
In 2016, the city under former Mayor Mike Pantelides sold the Eisenhower Golf Course, which was also in need of repair, to Anne Arundel County for $3.1 million. Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson amended legislation to earmark the sale proceeds for recreational programs and Pantelides indicated it could be used to repair the pool.
Two years later, the City Council is still deliberating on the best way to use the money.
The city hired a consultant to price different options — including an outdoor replacement, an indoor year-round pool, a pool with a retractable roof, and a pool with a dome, or bubble.
An outdoor replacement in the same place, including a six-lane competition pool, a wading pool, two body slides, a shade structure and miscellaneous water toys, would cost $2.8 million, according to a 2016 estimate.
Other amenities, like a bubble, retractable roof or therapeutic pool, would add to costs. The city would likely need bond funding to build an indoor pool or one with a retractable roof. A majority of the council voiced support for replacing the pool in-kind, under the $3.1 million budget.
But council members Ross Arnett and Finlayson both said during the work session that they’d discussed with other entities projects that could provide more amenities for lower cost.
“I should be very clear,” Finlayson said, “my position is not that we should spend more money. Absolutely not. I know what we allocated and I sincerely believe we can get what we want for the money we have, but we might have to do some work to get it.”
At previous work sessions and meetings, council members indicated an indoor pool would be best and generate money for the city. The pool has lost revenue in the last three years, but likely covers its operational costs.
Sutherland said she will follow up with entities and organizations Finlayson proposed to determine alternate funding sources, partnerships and options for replacing the pool.
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