The end arrives for old Aquatic Center
Demolition underway; future plans for space unknown
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MARSHALL -- Now that Marshall's new aquatic center is finished, work has shifted back to the old aquatic center site near Legion Field Park.
This week, Marshall city staff gave updates on demolition of the old pool and pool deck.
Demolition at the former pool site started around Oct. 14 City Administrator Sharon Hanson told Marshall City Council members at their regular meeting Tuesday.
"We think it will take another two weeks," Hanson said. "So, slowly progressing but soon to be completed."
On Friday, demolition workers were using an excavator and jackhammer to break up the floor of the old main swimming pool. The concrete around the pool deck, and the wading pool, had already been removed.
"They've been working on it most every day," said Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud.
While there has been some rain this month, Stensrud and Anderson said it hasn't really been an obstacle for demolition.
The old aquatic center pool was in use from the 1930s up until this summer, when The Splash, a new facility near the corner of Saratoga Street and West College Drive, was opened. The old aquatic center also included a bathhouse built in the 1970s, and a water slide was built in the 1990s.
The contracted plan for the old aquatic center will be to remove and fill in the pools, said Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson. Stensrud said once the pool area has been filled in and covered with topsoil, the parks department will level it and plant grass seed. The former bathhouse building will stay standing, for potential use as storage space, Stensrud said. He said gas lines for the swimming pool systems have already been removed from the building, and other equipment from the mechanical room would likely be demolished over the winter.
What will ultimately be done with the former aquatic center space is still an open question.
"There have been talks about a variety of things," Stensrud said. A public survey conducted in 2023 showed that a playground, outdoor game space, outdoor fitness equipment, and pickleball courts were among the top answers for what local residents would like to see. However, Stensrud said, the city does not currently have a funding source set aside to build new park features in the space.
Stockwell Engineers has also presented the city with a park concept for the former aquatic center. The concept plan included features like play structures, a park shelter, pickleball courts and space for games like beanbags. However, that concept has not received funding and approval from the city council.
Hanson said Friday that the former aquatic center will be discussed at a council work session on Nov. 10.