Bathhouse interior renovation receives Park Board approval
Under normal circumstances, the Greencastle Park Board, meeting just two days before the Fourth of July, would have been mulling over the final details of the annual holiday celebration.
But don’t cue the fireworks: This is no normal year. Not only were the fireworks canceled but the pool was shut down for the season and even SPARK didn’t ignite any interest in the COVID climate.
While no attention was paid to the holiday at the Park Board’s July meeting, the board focused on the future instead, authorizing a proposed renovation to the interior of the aquatic center bathhouse and changes to the zero-depth end of the pool.
The option carries a price tag estimated at $369,000, according to a presentation by Kyle Lueken of HWC Engineering.
Calling the project “prudent financially and time wise,” board member Cathy Merrell made the motion to go ahead with the interior renovation. After a second from Joanna Muncie, who attended the meeting via Zoom, the vote was unanimous to proceed, unless, as Mayor Bill Dory put it, “something crazy comes up” with the costs involved.
Dory encouraged the board to move forward with the interior renovation.
“We need to get going on this,” he urged, “or we’ll be behind the 8-ball again next year.”
In agreeing to the option to renovate the interior to provide two new family restrooms and a better, straight-through access for the entering public to the pool deck from the front counter, the board nixed an option that would have built an addition onto the front of the building, taking four parking spaces with it. It would have come at a projected cost of $585,000.
Lueken estimated it would be a month before HWC could produce drawings of the work ready for bidding, which will push the Phase II pool project into September before construction starts.
“We want to get as much done on the pool deck as possible this fall,” Lueken said to a chorus of nodding board members.
The reworking of the zero-depth pool entry is expected to include interactive features to help create a “family pod” section, Lueken said.
He described a vortex in the center with interactive water cannons or jets, along with a 15-gallon dump bucket as possibilities.
One item that seemed to intrigue Park Board members was a watermill windmill that sprays as it moves back and forth. It, however, carries an estimated $20,000 price tag, Lueken said.
The budget designated for water features in the pool renovation project is $35,000 total.
Lueken suggested that the board choose wisely and not make the zero-depth pool entry resemble the splashpark too much. No decision was made on the water features at the July meeting.
In other business, the Park Board:
-- Heard Matt Dickerson of the Putnam County Pickleball Club report that July 18 remains the target date for the grand reopening of the pickleball courts. However, should it need to be pushed back to accommodate continuing work on the courts, the date would be Saturday, July 25 with a rain date of Aug. 1. The club also received permission to use the pickleball and tennis courts for two proposed tournament dates, Sept. 5 (rain date Sept. 6) and Oct. 24 (rain date Oct. 25).
-- Heard Park Superintendent Rod Weinschenk note that with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s latest Back-on-Track report that the Celebrate 4 Committee and the Park Board were “correct to cancel July 4” since public gatherings are still limited to 250. Park Board President Tim Trigg responded to Weinschenk’s remarks with “Absolutely.”
-- Heard Weinschenk report that overall things are improving despite all the obstacles the COVID-19 virus has thrown at him. “Everybody’s out mowing,” he said. “The splashpark is going. The playgrounds are open.”
-- Heard Weinschenk report that the first three Parkfest concerts have seen near-perfect weather, expressing his surprise that audiences weren’t larger. “I was surprised at the number of people who actually wore masks through the concert,” he added.
-- Learned that the splashpark has been a popular spot with temperatures in the 90s recently. “For the most part, everybody is social distancing,” Weinschenk said, adding that he did have to make an announcement to a group after the attendance exceeded the 37-person limit prescribed for the splashpark grounds. After he counted 42 people and made his announcement, the park director said, “A few minutes later we only had 25.”
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Park Board is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 at City Hall.