Anderson-Dean Board Approves Extra $80,000 In Pool Repairs
The Harrodsburg Herald/Robert Moore
The repairs approved by the Anderson-Dean Community Park’s board of directors will add approximately $80,000 to the cost of the project.
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
[email protected]
The contractor handling the overhaul of the pool at Anderson-Dean Community Park informed officials they will have to repair the return system in addition to the other repairs being made to the pool. The repairs will add another $80,000 to the cost of the project.
“It’s going to be a new return system,” Stephen Ransdell, the director of Anderson-Dean Park, told the Harrodsburg Herald last week. “They’re still shooting for Memorial Day.”
At last week’s board of directors meeting, the board heard a report from American Leak Detection, which was hired last year to make extensive repairs to the pool, which was shut down last June after officials learned it had lost a million gallons of water in its first week of operations. The contractors assured the board they would be working “seven days a week from here on out” to make sure the pool is open by Memorial Day.
The contractor discovered corrosion in the return system, which they said could possibly have happened because it was not bonded properly. They told the board they hoped to get state approval within the week.
While the park board approved making the repair, it will also have to be approved by both the City of Harrodsburg and the Mercer County Fiscal Court, which share park expenses equally.
“We’ve come this far,” said Judge-Executive Sarah Steele. “We have to get through one more hurdle.”
“The city’s tight, but we can make it work,” said Harrodsburg City Commissioner Marvin “Bubby” Isham, who was representing the city at the board meeting. “We have to make it work.”
Isham said the city has money in reserves. Steele said the fiscal court will have to decide whether to pay for it and get money from the city later on.
The contractor said the life expectancy of the pool once the repairs have been completed is 20 to 25 years, depending on how well it’s maintained.
At last week’s meeting, board member Daarik Gray, who represents the Harrodsburg-Mercer County Tourist Commission, discussed selling sponsorships at the park. Gray said he and Ransdell have been meeting with local business owners about sponsoring the park, which Gray said attracts up to 400,000 visitors per year, according to Placer.ai, a location intelligence and foot traffic data software that provides location analytics, including trends, trade areas and visitor demographics. The board discussed pricing and the need to draft a contract before the new fiscal year on July 1.
The park board is looking to sell naming rights and sponsorships for attractions, including the playgrounds, the dog park and the athletic fields.
“If we could get all those fields named, that would be $50,000,” Gray said, adding it could be close to $80,000 with softball fields.
Judge Steele said Essity has reached out about making a donation to the park, including possibly starting a community garden and donating benches.
The board voted to approve and advertise the sponsorship packages.
“That’s exactly what we need,” said Chairman Don Guay.
