Photo by Deb Gau The Marshall Aquatic Center still draws crowds every summer, but problems like leaks and aging equipment have Marshall city staff talking about whether to repair or replace the facilities. A recently-completed study says the pool leaks around 1 million gallons of water a year.

MARSHALL — On hot summer days, the Marshall Aquatic Center is the place to be for many local residents, including families and kids. The Aquatic Center, which today includes a swimming pool, shallow pool, diving well and water slide, has served the community for more than 50 years.

And that’s where the difficulties come in, according to a study presented to the Marshall City Council on Tuesday night.

“It’s generally showing its age,” said Mark Wentzell of 292 Design Group, speaking to council members. It’s not like any one particular part of the Aquatic center is failing, he said. While some parts of the center are solid, there are factors ranging from serious leaks to aging equipment and accessibility problems. Those will all be factors the city will need to consider if it wants to have an aquatic center continue to serve the public for the next 50 years, Wentzell said.

“In our opinion, repairing it would be extremely expensive,” he said. The city could replace the current facility with a new Aquatic Center on the same land, the study said.

The results of the Aquatic Center study were presented for council members’ information on Tuesday. While there wasn’t any action taken on the study, the city of Marshall will continue to look at options for the long-term future of the Aquatic Center facilities.

In January, the city council approved a proposal from Minneapolis-based 292 Design Group to study the Aquatic Center. The study was intended to help the city consider whether to repair or replace the Aquatic Center in the future, and what a potential design might look like, said Scott VanDerMillen, director of Marshall Community Services.

Wentzell said the study included a tour of the Aquatic Center facilities, as well as discussions with city staff.

“One of the things we found out, was it has numerous deficiencies,” he said. Some of the deficiencies had to do with changes in building codes over time, and changing standards of accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the mechanical and electrical systems are aging and wearing out, Wentzell said. The pool itself has problems with leaking, to the tune of one million gallons of water a year, he said.

“That’s really high leakage,” he said.

While the pool and diving well were renovated in 2008, it hasn’t prevented structural failures from happening in the years after, the study said.

“It’s a pool in Minnesota. Freeze-thaw is its greatest enemy,” Wentzell said.

The Aquatic Center’s bath house and concessions building is in good structural shape, Wentzell said. However, parts of the facilities inside, like the showers and restrooms, are in need of renovation. The concrete block structure of the building would make it harder to make some of those updates, he said.

After doing the study, 292 Design said it would be a better value for the city to replace the Aquatic Center rather than trying to renovate or repair all its current problems. Wentzell presented concept sketch of how a new facility on the same area of land might look. The concept art included a “splash pad,” with no standing water and elements that spray or squirt water; a swimming pool with a zero-depth entry and a deeper pool area; and a lap pool with diving boards. The total aquatic area of the design would be 13,800 square feet. The concept also included an updated building for restrooms, changing and concessions.

The total estimated cost for the project, including a 20% contingency, architectural and engineering fees, testing and surveying, would be about $8.04 million, Wentzell said.

VanDerMillen said city staff and council members will continue to talk about options for the future of the Aquatic Center. A tour of the facilities for council members will be held in late August, he said.