New Greenfield pool could be on ballot in the future

Greenfield’s city council will discuss and take possible action at their Tuesday, April 8 meeting which could result in the first step to building a new swimming pool.

During the committee reports agenda item at the city council meeting Tuesday, March 25, council member Rita Eble shared a pool project timeline proposal for council discussion.

“You’re all aware that the pool advisory committee has worked very hard. They’ve gone around the state and have done their research,” Eble said before discussion. ”As with everything, this was pushed back a little with the tornado. We need to think about what’s important to the community and our residents.”

The proposal Eble distributed is the result of a March 13 teleconference meeting that included JEO consultants Andrew Pennekamp and Alyssa Vaughan; Jonathan Christensen and Eble, City Council Parks and Recreation; Jacque Eblen, Renee Schwartz, and Catherine Olesen, Greenfield Municipal Pool Advisory Committee (GMPAC).

Estimated Cost for new pool

Based on research and study from the Advisory Committee, it is believed that Greenfield could build a new pool for $5 million.

It will be a bit smaller than the current pool but will include a new bathhouse/concession stand and a maintenance/pump building.

The new pool would be constructed on the same site as the current pool.

Funding sources

City bonding: A city project of this size must start with a voter-passed referendum, which demonstrates Greenfield is committed to building a pool and is willing to pay for it. Should the city council decide to move forward, that referendum will be this November.

Grants: One primary grant is the Community Attractions Grant, and if Greenfield’s proposal were to be selected, this could provide up to $300,000. Additionally, engineering firm JEO will help the city identify and write other grants that can be used to support the building of the pool.

Fundraising efforts: All worthy projects begin with support from donors. A pool fund was established at the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation (GGCF) so that if they are eligible, donors can donate to Greenfield’s pool project and receive a tax advantage from doing so. Additionally, the Pool Advisory Committee will identify fundraisers that will help contribute to the building of the new pool.

Timeline, schedule for completion May 2027

• April 2025: The Greenfield City Council approves the estimated $5 million cost and commits to having a voter approved bonding referendum to help pay for the pool.

• June/July 2025: JEO will complete the pool concept, present it to the city council, and receive approval from the city council to move forward. The city attorney will provide language for the voter referendum and the city council will approve that language to be voted on.

• Summer/Fall 2025: JEO and city officials will meet with Greenfield citizens to learn more details about the plan with the goal being the passage of the referendum. Additionally, grant applications will begin to be developed.

• November 2025: The city will hold a referendum, which will determine whether the voters in the city of Greenfield will move forward on the plan to build a new swimming pool. If the vote fails, the next opportunity to have a referendum will be in November 2026, which is determined by state law. If the referendum passes, the CAT Grant Application will be submitted to state government.

• Winter of 2025-26: JEO will design project documents for bidding and construction.

• Winter and Spring 2026: Bidding and construction will commence to meet the completion goal of May 2027.

Council questions and comments followed. City Clerk Laura Benton stated the bonding capacity is about $7 million. She cautioned the council that best practice is for them to not bond for more than 80% of that dollar amount.

“Before the tornado the city was going to complete the second phase of the sewer lining project, which is about $ 2 million,” Benton said. “It’s not that the city couldn’t do both, because the city can. It would mean that neither of the projects will be fully funded. It would place more responsibility on the Advisory Committee to do the fundraising.”

Benton reported the city benefitted from state money for the sewer lining in the south part of town because of the tornado. Eble asked whether grant funding is available to assist the city in paying for the sewer lining project. City officials said there are enough of the town’s residents who meet income requirements that increase the city’s ability to receive the funds. Applications for those grants are due quarterly. Benton commented she was told shortly after the tornado there was a funding source that would give the city $1 million for sewer work and that she had not heard any more on that yet.

Following the discussion, a motion was approved that the council will have an agenda item April 8 to vote for or against the project, which is estimated to cost $5 million, which would include a bonding referendum based on the city’s bonding capacity.

Editor’s Note: The below information surrounding this project was provided by Advisory Committee members and is being printed verbatim.

Meetings with council members over time helped the committee to better understand city finances, budgeting and timelines, which was very helpful throughout this process.

Representatives from the pool advisory committee referenced findings from research and reports that were presented to the council from May 2023 through this February. The group contacted/visited 11 rural communities within a 100-mile radius of Greenfield where either pool repairs/renovations or new pool projects were completed. Only one community out of the 11 chose to repair their pool rather than build a new one.

To better understand the repair/replacement option for the Greenfield Municipal Pool, an on-site visit took place Dec. 23. A group comprised of many of the same individuals from before met at the pool for a tour with questions and discussion included. Items considered included the mechanical and chemical distribution equipment, including the mechanical building, water systems, pool structure and condition, the wading pool and bathhouse.

The notes provided from JEO and others from the December 23, 2023 on-site visit are summarized by these statements:

• The pool is in fair condition, but it requires significant repairs.

• The main pool looks to have had the top of the walls removed and replaced as some point. The gutters are cracking and in places get filled with sand.

• The scum gutters do not work in the shallow and north ends of the pool

• Most of the piping is original cast iron and should be replaced.

• An estimated 40-50% of the walls need to be replaced with about 30% of the floors.

• The south wall is bowed.

• The 3-meter diving tower is reported as being out of compliance for the diving envelope of the pool. This estimate does not include repairs to the deep end that would allow diving to continue.

• The state inspector needs to complete an evaluation to clearly identify items that are out of compliance.

• The wading pool needs to be completely replaced and improved. It is fill and drain, which is not compliant with regulations. Any update of the facility would likely end up in closure of the wading pool.

• The entire pool mechanical system is dated and needs to be replaced with NSF compliant equipment.

The building that houses the equipment might work for new equipment if the existing concrete can be removed without damaging the building. A technical study should look deeper at the mechanical building to see if it can be reused.

• The shell of the pool is the problem contributing to leakage because there’s a hole in the seam. It is not possible to caulk because it’s always wet. It was noted that in recent years when the pool is painted it seemed to be better, however it will be less strong as years go by.

• It is recommended an engineer be contracted to complete further evaluation, such as look at gutters and returns to know if they need to be fully repiped which would involve excavation and possibly plumbing the returns.

• There is a drainage field tile underneath the pool, however, it is unknown if it is around the entire perimeter.

• The pool leaked lots of water in 2021, the year after COVID. It dried out and was refilled. Bentonite rope has been used to help the water leakage, but it requires moisture to make it swell which is tedious and time-consuming application process.

• The bathhouse walls are deteriorating and need to be heavily repaired and in some cases, replaced.

• The interior walls and floors are failing and should be replaced along with sanitary fixtures that are ADA compliant.

• The roof needs to be replaced.

• There are general cleaning and updates that would benefit the building and the public.

• The cost to renovate is likely less than a complete replacement, however the estimated cost may be 60-75 % of a new building.

This informal evaluation by the experts who attended was completed to give the team an idea of a cost estimate for replacements/repairs for the pool (which does not include mechanical and bathhouse buildings). That estimate is $2-$3 million.

In comparison, a completely new facility, including pool, mechanical equipment and building, zero-entry accessibility which then offers a wading area and a new bathhouse with a concession stand, is close to $5 million.

“Speaking for the Pool Advisory Committee, the people of Greenfield are commended for their vision, collaboration, and community spirit,” Catherine Olesen said. ”The proposed recommendations are an example of these attributes.”