After 15 years of use, the pools at the city’s water park, Rock River Rapids, are in need of a total facelift, say city officials.
At issue are all the layers of paint that have been put on the pool surfaces over the years. That’s 12 layers to be precise.
While they have served their purpose, they also can potentially hide concrete damage such as cracks, said Steve White, director of parks, who submitted a refurbishment proposal to the City Council for its consideration at its Aug. 28 meeting. The city has received five bids to thoroughly sandblast the pools, clean and inspect them and then repair any identified failures. The job also calls for a new epoxy-based coating.
The bids range from $120,750 from JTP Painting and Sandblasting to $320,700 from Kramer Industrial Inc.
The water park’s budget includes $300,000 for the job, so the low price is well under the limit. The city’s bid board reviewed all the proposals and recommended going ahead with the low bid, which the council usually does.
Age, the sun and pool chemicals take their toll on the pools’ surfaces.
“The old paint is thick, brittle and separating from the surface,” White said.
The danger of cracks, he said, is that they permit water loss under the coating.
Currently, White doesn’t know when the project will start.
“Once we have finalized the signatures on the contract, we will then have a better idea of a start date,” he said.
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