Tyrone’s Interim Borough Manager Sharon Dannaway confirmed the community’s pool is ready for another season starting next weekend with renovations to the pool’s bathhouse virtually completed and other changes in place.
She told The Daily Herald on Friday, “They are finishing up this week.”
She said workers were still installing partitions in the bathhouse when she had been there on Tuesday. She said the work was “probably completed” as of yesterday.
The borough had made improvements to the pool and its surrounding facilities a priority. A “wish list” with cost estimates was created through its engineering firm. It was presented to council last fall. The list addressed 16 different improvements which could be made to the pool located at Reservoir Park. Council decided to prioritize the project. One reason for the move was a need to decide which parts of the project could be completed prior to the beginning of the pool season and what might have to wait until the fall after the end of the season.
In March, the borough opened bids for the bathhouse accessibility project. The plans called for the installation of accessible water closets, accessible lavatories, accessible showers, an accessible bi-level drinking fountain, associated plumbing, toilet partitions, sidewalk replacement, vinyl privacy screen, steel door replacement, masonry partition modifications, electrical panel relocation and other work.
In January, council approved a bid aimed at upgrading another aspect of the pool; the replacement of a drainage and grating system.
The replacement was estimated at $7,500 in a September 2004 letter received by the borough from its engineering firm, CET Engineering Services of Huntingdon. The borough accepted the only bid it received for swimming pool grates from Grate Ideas from Vermont in the amount of $8,542.
Also in January, it rejected a bid of $30,572.78 for a pool access ramp from Recreonics, Inc. of Kentucky. The September 2004 letter from CET had estimated the item would cost about $6,500. CET advised council to reject the bid since it came in so much higher than expected. Instead, engineer Ray Myers suggested alternatives to the ramp.
Yesterday, Dannaway told The Daily Herald, the borough decided to use a portable stairs and lift option for ADA access and the equipment was in place for use starting with the new pool season.
In March, the borough received five bids for the bath house work and the low base bid came from Maine’s Engineering of Tyrone for $45,100. The project bids included several alternate options; replacement of doors, painting of floors/walls, painting of ceiling, replacement of the lavatory, countertop and mirror in the women’s toilet and shower and the replacement of toilet partitions. With the alternatives, Maine’s Engineering was again the low bidder at $64,884. The borough set up the bids so it can do all, part or none of the alternatives to the base project. Dannaway said the borough decided to complete the project using all the options.
Dannaway said on Friday, the ADA requirements were in place at the bathhouse including the changing room and bathroom facilities. She said entrances/exits had been widened to accommodate wheel chairs for both the men’s and women’s facilities.
The estimates on the borough’s wish list of improvements to the entire pool facility came to just more than $322,000. The borough has set aside $300,000 in its 2005 budget for the improvements.
The pool is set to begin its new season next Saturday, May 28.
