During their July 5 meeting, City Commissioners will be asked postpone a bid award for the Natatorium demolition and restoration until the July 18 meeting.
The project includes demolition of the Natatorium and restoration of the impacted area along with sidewalks for a future play structure and pavilion.
The project is funded with Community Development Block Grant funds, which are federal funds, but came in over budget, according to staff.
Grant funds to demolish Natatorium on Feb. 7 city agenda
City staff are researching whether the overage can be funded with CDBG funds or whether funds will need to come from another source.
The Natatorium was closed in December 2018, after the exterior wall had failed earlier that year.
The demolition and restoration services were done by TD&H Engineering.
The invitation to bid was advertised in May and one addendum was issued.
The city received two bids by the May 31 deadline with the lowest bid being $73,269.20 over the engineer’s estimate, according to city staff.
City plans to demolish Natatorium by end of June
The engineer’s estimate was $216,505.80.
Shumaker Trucking and Excavation’s bid was $289,775 and the bid from Olympus Technical Services, Inc. was $448,115.
“The City Commission could vote to not postpone the bid award. However, due to the bids on this project, staff will not have had sufficient time to adequately research additional funds and make an informed recommendation to the commission,” according to the staff report.
In February, commissioners approved a $200,000 CDBG agreement with the Park and Recreation Department for the project.
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Commissioners voted unanimously during their Jan. 17 meeting to approve a $34,250 professional services agreement with TD&H Engineering for design and construction phases to support the demolition of the 17,200 square foot Natatorium, which has been closed since the end of 2018.
The decision to close the Nat came after bricks fell off the exterior of the building in early 2018, exposing additional problems with the façade and roof with repairs at an estimated $539,834 to $613,088.
The Natatorium is located at 2nd Avenue North and 12th Street.
The planning phase is funded by park maintenance district funds, Herrig said.
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The Natatorium is being replaced by the indoor aquatic and recreation center currently under construction in Lions Park.
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The current Nat was built in 1966, after its predecessor on the same site was closed in 1963 due to significant settling throughout the building causing walls to shift, the pool to leak and the foundation to crack, according to a memo from City Manager Greg Doyon during the city’s 2018 budget process, which included multiple public meetings.
A 2011 study found masonry staining, groundwater concerns, water leakage in the basement and other nonstructural issues. The high water table at the site was also a concern in the report and it recommended projects totaling $997,114 that should be done over 1 to 50 years, according to city records.
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Since then, the city partially removed the top of nonbearing load walls to allow for foundational movement, mud jacking and door replacement.
Since 2004, the city completed more than $357,939 in repairs including roof repairs, ventilation tunnels around the pool were filled with concrete since they were in danger of collapsing, a new pool liner, drain pipe liner, boiler replacement, pool desk resurfacing, asbestos testing, southwest corner to women’s locker room lifted due to cracks and settling in foundation, doors and door jams replaced.
