“We are sitting in great shape,” said Jordan Danielson of construction managers Contegrity Group.

“We’re going to start to see a lot more external work happening,” said Larry Filippi of Contegrity Group.

On Friday, Danielson and Filippi talked about the status of the Aquatic Center construction, and what the next steps in the project were.

Danielson said R and G Construction were at the Aquatic Center site preparing it for construction of the pool decks, sidewalks, and features like green space. If weather conditions cooperate, the next big step would be to pour concrete for the pool deck. As concrete work moves forward, people will see a lot of activity with concrete trucks and a boom at the construction site, he said.

Weather conditions will be the big factor in deciding how soon concrete work can start, Danielson said. The concrete will need temperatures to be at a certain level, but most importantly workers will need clear weather.

“It really comes down to rain,” Danielson said.

So far, progress at the Aquatic Center hasn’t been impacted too much by rain, aside from the severe storm event last summer that dumped several inches of water on Marshall in the course of a couple of hours.

“We were fortunate to come out of that pretty much unscathed,” he said.

Over the winter, a lot of the construction at the Aquatic Center happened indoors. Danielson gave an overview of the work that’s been completed so far. Crews completed utility work, installed pump and mechanical systems for the pools, and finished the concessions, restroom and changing areas in the bathhouse building.

Photo by Deb Gau Water could be seen in the deep pool at the new Aquatic Center on Friday. The pool was filled as part of the process of testing for leaks, said Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud.

“A lot of the finishes are wrapping up,” Danielson said. “There’s not a lot left (to do) inside.”

Danielson said crews are also finishing the connections that will allow the Aquatic Center’s different systems to work. “It’s a lot of electrical and mechanical at this point.”

Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud said many Marshall residents noticed that there was water in the new Aquatic Center’s deep pool this week. The pool had been filled as part of the process of testing for leaks, Stensrud said. Other pools at the new center will also be temporarily filled for leak testing, he said.

The goal is for the new Aquatic Center to be completed sometime this summer, but Stensrud said there isn’t an exact date opening date known yet. In the meantime, the city of Marshall still plans on opening the current Aquatic Center near Legion Field Park. Stensrud said the plan is to open the existing Aquatic Center on May 30.

“We’re still going to host all our swimming lessons, and do everything as normal,” he said.

Stensrud said the city does want to hold a grand opening event when the new Aquatic Center is operational.

Photo by Deb Gau Water could be seen in the deep pool at the new Aquatic Center on Friday. The pool was filled as part of the process of testing for leaks, said Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud.