https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/jacksonville-council-oks-deal-allow-pool-18258225.php Council OKs deal to allow Nichols Park Pool renovation to start The city is diving back into the renovation of Nichols Park Pool after Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved revisions to the only contract that was submitted for bid in June. exp-player-logo The council was surprised at its June 26 meeting when the only bid that was submitted for the estimated $1.6 million project came in at slightly more than $3 million. The lone bidder, Trotter General Contracting of Macomb, negotiated with Benton & Associates, the city's consulting engineer, to bring the project in line with the budget, yet retain the work needed to make the pool usable. After discussion in the workshop portion of the meeting, the council agreed to eliminate some amenities including the splash pad to bring the project cost down to $1.65 million. The renegotiated contract was unanimously approved by the council during its regular meeting Monday night. The Nichols Park Pool has been closed this season and city officials hoped the renovation would already be under way. Reg Benton of Benton & Associates said Trotter has already signed the contract and is ready to get to work. Benton said the completion date in the new contract will allow the pool to open June 7, 2024. Rather than start over and seek new bids, the council decided in June to have Benton & Associates work with Trotter to come up with a workable solution to get the pool back in operation by next summer. City Attorney Dan Beard said the city was able to negotiate with Trotter to change the nature of the work and produce a different dollar amount because there was only one bidder for the project. The original plan called for $1.5 million to be spent on the project, including replacement of integral systems for the pool and installing extra features in the shallow end including a zero-depth entry to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Original plans included installing a splash pad so younger children would be able to enjoy the pool. The splash pad was the major cut made to meet budget, but Benton said some of the features from the splash pad will be integrated into the zero-depth entry feature on the west end of the pool. Also left in the plans were repairs to the bath house and establishing a family entrance from the bath house so families won't have to be separated upon arrival. The work on the pool will be paid for with $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $400,000 from an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the remainder in city funds. The pool renovations were necessary because it was not clear it would have been able to open this summer considering its current condition. Some major systems in the pool, including its surge pit and gutter system, needed to be repaired or replaced. During the workshop session, there was discussion about adding slides to the project. While they would fit into the approved plan, Benton recommended they be dealt with at another time as amenities can be added at any point when funds are available. Trying to add items to the negotiated contract would likely have delayed the start of construction. Benton said the life expectancy of a public pool is 20 years, but the city should expect for the planned renovations to last for at least 30 years. In a discussion about revenue, Adam Fletcher, director of the city's Parks and Lakes Department, said the pool took in about $35,000 last year and will take in $40,000 in a good year. Expenses for the pool amount to about $40,000 annually. "Running a pool is usually a break-even proposition. Pool use is affected by the weather, but we can expect to see an increase in total use after improvements are made," Fletcher said. "We need to have this for our community," said Lori Oldenettel, alderwoman and chair of the Parks and Lakes Committee. "We have to do this, or we won't have a pool. It's a service we provide to the community." __________________________________________________________ The work shall generally consist of: Renovations to the existing swimming pool, including a new stainless steel gutter system, zero depth entry, a new splashpad and a family toilet area.