Facility expected to be open next summer
By Barb Pert Templeton
When the Algonac city pool at the Lions Field closed in 2020 due to leaking water and safety concerns deciding what to do about the popular city venue that first opened in 1957 certainly became a topic of interest.
In 2021 the city formed a pool committee and soon hired an architect to design a new pool and the estimated cost at that time was $1.7 million. After seeking bids in 2022, the costs had soared and the city quickly realized they’d need a larger funding source to make the pool a reality.
At the city council’s regular meeting on Aug. 20 officials presented a pair of bids for the new pool’s construction and unanimously approved one of them.
Officials reviewed two bids received for the project, one from Robert Clancy Contracting and one from Wolverine Building Group. In a memo to the council, City Manager Denice Gerstenberg said both contractors were qualified for the scope of the project. The Clancy Contracting’s bid was $2,924,301 and Wolverine’s bid was $3,133,851 and both came in last April.
The project stalled a bit because the bids came in at more than anticipated but then State Senator Kevin Hertel came through with $1 million dollars from the state budget in July and the project moved forward. At the recent council meeting officials awarded the pool bid to Robert Clancy Contracting for $2,924,301.
Councilman Michael Bembas, a longtime proponent of getting the pool up and running, made the motion to approve the contract with Robert Clancy Contracting of Casco. He thanked the community for their patience with officials in getting the project off the ground.
“I’m so excited about this pool, we have worked long and hard, it’s been too many years and thank you to senator Hertel for helping us find the funds,” Bembas said. “This is going to be the greatest pool in the history of pools, it’s going to be a heated, walk-in pool.”
Bembas said people with arthritis in their knees like him can actually go into some warm water without having to climb in via stairs.
“I hated that and the older you get the more you hate cold water,” Bembas said. “I’m very excited.”
There’s going to be a little play area for the kids, a splash pad in the water and a deeper end for bigger kids and people, he added.
“We always say the pool is for the kids, this pool is not designed for just for kids, it’s designed for adults and senior citizens like me to go in that pool,” Bembas said. “This is going to be a wonderful addition and I’m so glad to be part of it and to see it come to fruition.
The councilman then asked if the pool will be ready by May 1 and Gerstenberg said probably not quite May 1 but for the summer season. He said he’d give her a call on May 2 to check on things prompting lots of laughter in the room.
“You need to get a new hobby now,” Councilwoman Dawn Davey, teased Bembas.
“Thank-you city manager for finding the funds and for everybody up here who just nagged the living daylights out of the people in Lansing I think they just got tired us all bugging them and it was to the point where they just said give them the money to get them to shut up,” Bembas said.
He added that if anyone wanted to see the pool plans, they should visit his Facebook page.
Mayor Rocky Gillis said he was excited to finally see the project happening.
“We had no idea when the state budget was announced that this was in there until we got the phone call,” Gillis said.
Construction is expected to start on the project in September and completion is planned for next summer.
Gerstenberg also noted that the city would have to budget $224,301 for the 2024-25 budget to make the project happened.
Section 3.20 – This one will set policies and procedures for the city commission; Adkins said this section will require the commission to develop certain policies and procedures that are actually lacking at this time.
Section 5.4 – This section, regarding removing an official from office will basically follow the same process already in place including providing the proper notice, following a time frame for a hearing and allowing witnesses to speak on the charged official’s behalf. Adkins said for example, that there is no real change being made from the policy that was utilized when officials voted former City Commissioner Michael Hilferink out of office last year. “This is just to solidify and memorialize” the current section in the charter, he added.
Section 13 – This section states the city manager is in charge of contracts and purchases/sales of property for the city. Adkins said the language has been adjusted to clarify any gray areas and make the section more controlled and defined.
