Adrian City Commission reviewing Bohn Pool feasibility study, audit

ADRIAN — Is the city of Adrian going to have an operable community swimming pool for the 2024 summer?

That was a question raised during the Adrian City Commission’s meeting on Monday, which devoted nearly one hour of its premeeting study session to discuss the short- and long-term future of Bohn Pool, Adrian’s 50-year-old swimming pool, which city officials have said is “on its last legs.”

For the past handful of summers, Bohn Pool has experienced maintenance and equipment issues, including this season, with its opening delayed because of “critical mechanical issues.”

Bohn Pool was expected to open June 3, but its opening has been stalled. The city said it is hoping to get the pool operational during the week of June 11.

Previous Report: Adrian suspends Bohn Pool's June 3 opening date due to 'critical mechanical issues'

This latest round of equipment failures revolves around the pool’s boiler, which Parks and Recreation Director Jeremiah Davies said is “on the last bit of its life.”

The 1999 model boiler controls the temperature of the pool water. The optimal water temperature for a pool, he said, is 78-82 degrees. As of Monday morning, the temperature of the water was 67 degrees. Looking at the projected 10-day weather forecast, Davies said he expects the water temperature to remain in the mid- to upper-60s.

A new boiler would cost from $80,000 to $90,000 and one wouldn't be received for four to six months, he said. But the pool can be operated without a boiler. The water, Davies said, will just be a little chilly.

“You can operate a pool without a boiler,” he said. “It will simply come down what users are willing to tolerate in regard to the pool temperature.”

Another issue plaguing the operation of the pool is its 35-year-old water pump which is leaking water, but Davies said it is operable, despite showing obvious wear and tear. A new pump costs $17,000 to $18,000, he said.

The water quality control pump, which measures the pH levels in the pool, is 30 years old and is working intermittently, he said. A new pump is $3,000 to $4,000.

“We have a 50-year-old pool, and it is really showing its life,” Davies said. “That’s why (the city commission) decided to have the pool study.”

Because of the inconsistencies of the mechanics of the pool, the city voted unanimously during its regular meeting on Monday to waive the admission fees and pool passes for this summer limited to city residents and Adrian Public Schools district students and families only upon the verification of city residency or Adrian Public Schools attendance.

“We believe we can run (the pool) safely,” Davies said. “The water is clean.”

Results from Adrian’s pool study and audit were provided during Monday’s premeeting by the design and engineering firm Counsilman-Hunsaker & Associates.

Studio director Miklos Valdez, who has been engaged with Adrian on Bohn Pool’s audit and feasibility study since March 2022, presented findings of the pool audit and also looked at overall costs to build a new swimming pool.

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The audit was completed in March. Many of the issues Davies presented to the commission were highlighted in Valdez’s audit.

At least $2.07 million of renovations at Bohn Pool would add another 10-15 years to the pool’s life expectancy, Valdez said. The number could potentially increase to $4 million or more depending on what the city might want to add to Bohn Pool.

“At that point, you are really going to need to have this conversation again and be looking at a new facility,” he said.

Three options for a new pool were discussed and renderings of those potential pools were shared with the commission. The new pools ranged from $6.5 to $13 million in construction costs and included a number of amenities that Adrian survey respondents said were important to them in a community swimming pool. The most expensive option included an outdoor swimming pool and an indoor competitive swimming facility complete with diving boards and multipurpose rooms.

Indoor pools are more expensive to operate because of the year-round labor, which Valdez said is the major driver of those increased costs.

The 823 Adrian residents who completed the survey said they would like to see such amenities as water slides, a lazy river, lounging areas and a zero-beach entry added to the pool.

The pool designs keep a pool in Riverside Park but move it out of the 100-year floodplain in which Bohn Pool currently sits.

The designs are expected to increase attendance, Valdez said.

“Based on this information, our recommendation would be a new build,” he said. “A new build pool is going to meet all of the community needs and desires, it's going to meet all of the top amenities that are requested, it keeps the current park location and just moves (the pool) out of the floodplain, and you’re going to see increased cost recovery, attendance and swim lessons capabilities at the new build.”

Since being built, Bohn Pool has flooded once while within the floodplain, Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott said.

The possibility to build a new pool would range from nine months to one year, Valdez said. The indoor/outdoor option would be longer, anticipated at 18 months or more.

Many of the commissioners and Mayor Angie Sword Heath said the costs of a building a new pool were somewhat high.

The city is better off building something new and having it last for another 50 years, commissioner Lad Strayer said.

“We’ve been putting a band-aid on (Bohn Pool) for as long as I’ve been on the commission,” he said. “I think that we have finally backed ourselves into a corner and we need to make a decision.”

“I’m more concerned right now about the short-term than the big ideas,” commissioner Allen Heldt said, stressing that the boiler and the pump need to be addressed first. The bigger ideas for the new build options, he said, should be something placed in front of the voters. It’s a lot of money, he said, for the city to be spending.

“If it’s important enough for (the residents), they will vote on it,” he said.

A community pool is designed to keep kids cool and active in the summer. And while Heldt said he likes the “bells and whistles” displayed as part of the new pool builds, Bohn Pool needs to remain special because of its affordability.

“What makes Bohn Pool great, in my opinion, is that it's affordable,” Heldt said. “Anybody can essentially afford to go there.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Results of Bohn Pool's audit, study examined by Adrian City Commission