Kettering is renovating most of its parks in 2010-11, thanks to a $17.3 million bond levy passed by Kettering voters in 2008. City officials had hoped money for the retractable roof and pool deck expansion project would be paid by the levy. But the money will come from the city’s $35 million general fund because there was not enough money available from the levy, and they could not find a sponsor to share costs.
Schwieterman assured the council the city has the money to pay for the project. Mayor Don Patterson said the project is an investment in the city’s future.
“I think the residents look for us to do things that are going to take this community not just into the next two or three years, but into the next 20 years, and we needed to do that,” Patterson said.
Kettering Parks Director Mary Beth Thaman said the city hopes to decide by Friday when to start the project, which will require closing the pool for a few months. She added the city will work with swim teams and individual pool users to minimize the impact.
The pool currently has a removable bubble roof that makes it an outdoor pool in the summer, and an indoor pool the rest of the year.
Schwieterman said the retractable roof will prevent frequent weather-related program cancellations in the summer and save on energy costs compared to the bubble. Thaman said expanding the small deck area toward the adjacent outdoor water park will give the parks department needed space to hold swim meets and other programs. The pool itself will see comparatively minor changes aimed at improving circulation.
“We don’t really have enough concrete area (around the pool) to attract programs to our aquatics center because we’re too small, and putting a new bubble over an existing problem didn’t seem a wise decision,” Patterson said. “It was a natural time to do this when we’re doing other upgrades to the park ... and the money is there.”
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