By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
If the recommendation from the Joint Recreation Board stands, the Community Park Pool will be replaced with a new concrete pool with a cost of about $5.8 million.
Of eight bids submitted of various construction types, the board recommended the least expensive of the concrete pool bids. It did so because of the positive experiences the Recreation Department has had with the existing concrete pool.
Other choices, such as steel walls with a concrete floor or an all-steel pool would have required more funding. A $6.1 million bond passed by Princeton Borough and Princeton Township will cover the costs of the pool.
The board also chose the concrete pool because the work can begin on time and a concrete pool had the most public support.
”The all concrete is the cheapest option, it is the most proven commodity because we’ve made one last for a long, long time out here,” said Ben Stentz, executive director of Princeton Recreation. “It would speak to trying to change as little as possible to the complex, which has been a sentiment we’ve heard many times.”
Arco Construction of St. Louis was the lowest bidder with $5,769,000 for the concrete pool. Bids went as high as $7.4 million for this option.
”I was pleasantly surprised the concrete bid came in lower,” said Mike Petrone, chair of the Recreation Board. “What I’ve been hearing in the community is some resistance to the stainless steel concept … generally speaking more people are comfortable with a traditional concrete pool so I was very happy that bid came in significantly less expensive.”
A pool with steel walls and concrete floor would have cost a minimum of $5,969,000 from the lowest bidder. All eight bids were roughly this far apart between the all-concrete model and the steel walls and concrete floor. An all-steel pool came in at a minimum of $6.3 million and a maximum of $7.9 million.
The board also chose to add a $42,000 step-style retaining wall seating to make use of a steep hill at the southern end of the pool so the area can be used to watch swim meets and offer more space for seating or sunbathing.
In addition to the hard costs of construction, the board considered soft costs such as concrete testing to ensure the material is strong enough, having a company oversee the construction and paying the project designer, Brandsetter Carroll.
Some financing measures were also approved.
The Recreation Department will be responsible for $1 million of the bonds issued by the borough and the township over the course of 20 years. The funds will be paid to the municipalities in the same ratio of the debt, with 67 percent going to the township and 33 percent going to the borough.
The Princeton Parks and Recreation Foundation, a private group, has pledged to raise $1 million to help pay for the pool. If the group falls short, the Recreation Department must make up the difference.
If the fund falls short, the department is responsible; if the fund does better, the department may be responsible for less debt, said Mr. Stentz.
