Wednesday, January 18, 2006
A state-of-the-art water park is planned for the site.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council is expected today to rescind emergency legislation to bypass the formal bidding process to demolish the North Pool.
Council approved the emergency legislation Dec. 21 after an inspection by ES & amp;C International, a Youngstown company, showed a major loss of water from the pool.
Wet spots on properties near the pool on Tod Lane indicated soil saturation that could damage nearby areas, the inspection revealed.
Demolition OK'd
Because of the inspection, council agreed to permit the city's park and recreation commission to solicit informal bids and hire a company for no more than $90,000 to demolish the pool.
But some council members are now uncomfortable with waiving the formal bidding process, and they say the demolition isn't an emergency, said Councilman Michael Rapovy, D-5th and the legislative body's president pro-tempore.
"We don't want to try to jam it through in a heartbeat," he said. "We want to take our time and do it right. There's no use to get it dirtied up [without formal bidding]. So we'll go through the proper channels."
Water project
The demolition is part of a large-scale water project at the North Pool site. The city wants to build a state-of-the-art water park there, said Joseph R. McRae, the commission's director.
The pool phase is supposed to be done by this summer as originally planned, McRae and Rapovy said.
Other amenities, such as slides and splash pads that shoot streams of water, will be added to the pool over the next few years, McRae said. The project's total cost is estimated at $1.9 million, he said.
"There were questions and concerns by council members about emergency legislation," the park director said. "Rather than fight it out, we decided to acquiesce."
As for the leaking, McRae said he doesn't know if it will become a problem for nearby property owners.
"We wanted to do informal bidding to alleviate the leaking hazard," he said.
"I don't know if it will be a problem or not, but we're willing to take that chance."
Wants speedy action
Councilman Richard Atkinson, R-3rd, who has the pool in his ward, said he hoped the change in bidding plans wouldn't hold up the project because he wants kids to enjoy themselves at the facility this summer.
The North Pool opened in 1939, and for a number of years it was among six public pools in Youngstown.
Today, there are two city pools; the other, Borts Pool, is on the West Side on Belle Vista Avenue.
skolnick@vindy.com