Photo by Deb Gau Marshall Aquatic Center manager Deanna Suby helped answer questions from the public during an open house event Thursday. The city of Marshall held the event to inform people about a proposed new Aquatic Center project that is headed for a vote in November. B

MARSHALL — The city of Marshall held another open house at the Marshall Aquatic Center on Thursday — but this time it wasn’t a pool party. With the facilities empty for the season, city staff were able to point out cracks in the pool, and more.

Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud said some of the problems at the Aquatic Center weren’t visible from the surface, like deteriorating cast iron pipes. Stensrud said bits of metal from the pipes often show up in the pool filters.

Stensrud said they were most noticeable when the pool was drained for the winter.

“But you get it during operations, too,” he said.

On Thursday evening, the city invited members of the public to tour the Aquatic Center, ask questions and learn more about plans to build a new aquatic facility. A vote on whether to extend Marshall’s local option sales tax to fund the project will be held Nov. 7.

Last month, the Marshall City Council learned that the base design proposed for a new Aquatic Center near the corner of Saratoga Street and West College Drive would cost an estimated $18.95 million. An additional $1.47 million in alternate options could also be built. The ballot question for November’s election would authorize the city to issue up to $18.37 million in general obligation bonds for the project.

At its Aug. 8 meeting, the city council voted to proceed with the final design process of the project only if the sales tax extension passed in November.

There wasn’t a big crowd at Thursday’s open house, but some members of the public did tour the Aquatic Center facilities. City staff said there were a wide variety of issues with the current facilities, affecting the shower and changing areas, the pool, and the facility’s mechanical systems.

With the pool drained, cracks in some areas were visible to visitors. Stensrud said the Aquatic Center — including the general pool, wading pool and diving bell — holds about 380,000 gallons of water. However, the facility loses anywhere form 13,000 to 15,000 gallons a day.

Rusting iron pipes and other deterioration are also a problem, Stensrud said. One area discussed on the tour was a manhole in the pool deck. Stensrud said the manhole is where the main drains and the pipes for the pool’s gutter system run to the mechanical room.

“That manhole is original, and it’s all rusted out,” Stensrud said. An unknown amount of gravel had also washed away from around the manhole, which presented a safety hazard, he said. Stensrud said he planned to have the deck area around the manhole removed to assess the problem, hopefully next week.

The main pool at the Aquatic Center dates back to 1938, city staff said. Stensrud said the Aquatic Center has had some updates over the years, including the construction of the diving bell and the current bath house in the 1970s, the addition of a gutter system in the 1980s, and the addition of the water slide in the 1990s. The pool also had a new surface coating added in the 2000s, but that coating would be coming to the end of its life soon, Stensrud said.

Stensrud and Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said there were a number of reasons why the city was looking at building a new Aquatic Center instead of repairing or renovating the current one.

“Once you start renovating, you really have to bring everything up to code,” Byrnes said. Doing so would be a costly task, he said. Many areas of the Aquatic Center do not meet the standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“When you start replacing things, you’re going to have to replace a lot,” Stensrud said.

Byrnes said soil correction would also be needed at the current Aquatic Center site, and the parking lot would need to be reconfigured.

“The other thing is that it wouldn’t fit,” Byrnes said.

Stensrud said amenities like a zero-depth entry pool or leisure river needed more space than would fit in the current Aquatic Center site.

Building a new facility at a different site would also allow the current Aquatic Center to stay open while the new one is under construction, Byrnes said.

Visitors at the open house were also invited to give feedback on how the current Aquatic Center site should be used if a new facility is built near Saratoga Street and West College Drive. Some of the options presented ranged from community gardens to athletic fields or playgrounds. A posterboard with stickers showed that pickleball courts and a playground were among the most popular ideas for visitors.

Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson said they also hoped to put out an electronic survey where community members could share their ideas for the current Aquatic Center site.