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Scoping out the problems

Marshall city staff, council members, and community members got a closer look at the Aquatic Center

Photo by Deb Gau Marshall Parks Superintendent Preston Stensrud pointed out some of the features — and areas of concern — at the Marshall Aquatic Center, during a tour Tuesday afternoon. Members of the Marshall City Council, and the Marshall Community Services Advisory Board, got a closer look at the facilities. A report earlier this summer said the pool was in need of repair or replacement.

By Deb Gau

dgau@marshallindependent.com

MARSHALL — The Marshall Aquatic Center is showing its age, Preston Stensrud said. The group of people gathered on the pool deck had heard that information before — but now they watched as Stensrud reached over and pulled a small piece of concrete out of the pool wall.

There were other spots around the rim of the pool where concrete was falling out, he said.

“We’ve done a lot of patching,” said Stensrud, parks superintendent for the city of Marshall. “It’s just getting to where it’s going to need more than that.”

Members of the Marshall City Council and the Marshall Community Services Advisory Board toured the Aquatic Center on Tuesday afternoon, to take stock of the facility’s condition. Damaged concrete, aging or outdated equipment and materials, and a lack of privacy in toilet and changing areas were among some of the things pointed out on the tour.

Questions about the future of the Aquatic Center were raised this summer, when the city got the results of a study on the 50-year-old facility. Members of 292 Design Group listed problems ranging from a lack of accessibility to aging mechanical systems and leaking pools. About a million gallons of water a year is lost from the Aquatic Center, the study said.

The Aquatic Center would be expensive to fix or replace. 292 Design Group’s study included a concept for new facilities, which carried an estimated cost of $8.04 million.

Stensrud said the Aquatic Center is currently one of the oldest swimming pools in Minnesota. The bath house, where the tour started, also dates back to the late 1960s or early 1970s.

“Structurally, the building is sound,” Stensrud said. However, the roof leaks and there are other problems with the restroom and changing areas. “Privacy and accessibility would be the main things,” he said. Doorways and other parts of the building are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the toilet stalls in the restroom areas don’t have doors, although city staff have tried to put in doors where they could. The changing areas don’t have lockers for swimmers’ belongings, Stensrud said.

“We have tons of complaints on that,” he said.

Other problems had to do with a lack of space in the bath house. Stensrud said a single room doubles as the staff break room and first aid station for the Aquatic Center.

Outside, the swimming pools, diving well and water slide were facing problems due to age and wear, as well as years of going through Minnesota’s freeze-thaw cycle. There were areas in the main swimming pool where parts of the pool wall were falling out. Stensrud said the pool would need eight new drains next year in order to be up to code. Other important parts of the Aquatic Center, like pumps and the fiberglass for the water slide, were all about 25 years old, he said. The center’s 15-year-old chlorinators had to be thrown out at the end of this year’s season, and will need to be replaced next year, he said.

Marshall Community Services Director Scott VanDerMillen said the MCS Advisory Board would continue to talk about planning for the Aquatic Center this fall. The board has an upcoming meeting in October.

While the Aquatic Center tour wasn’t an item on Tuesday’s city council agenda, council member Steven Meister did talk about it at the council meeting, during time for individual council member reports.

“There’s no question that we need a new pool facility,” Meister said. The Aquatic Center was not only losing 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water a day during the summer, he said, “It’s heated and treated water.” The leaks meant wasting other resources, too.

Meister thanked VanDerMillen and Stensrud for leading the tour.

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