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Parks Board approves sites for two new Evansville pools
The Bellemeade location was approved 5-0, while the Howell location was approved by a 3-2 margin with board members Jay Ritter and Gary Shetler casting the dissenting votes.
Ritter said he has concerns about building a pool at Howell Park because of the problems with groundwater. Howell Pool was closed in August 2006 after an engineering consultant discovered that the pool's concrete was rapidly dissolving from prolonged exposure to the effects of a high water table. Howell Park is home to the Howell Wetlands, a 35-acre remnant of an old channel of the Ohio River. The new pool and pool deck will not be built as deep into the ground as the old Howell Pool, said Jeff Justice of Hafer Associates, the firm that designed the new pools and recommended the locations. "We believe we will mitigate the problems," Justice said. The old Howell Pool, which was built in 1969 and was the oldest in the city until it closed, had a diving well that extended so deep into the soil that it was in the groundwater, Justice said. As a result, part of the pool was supported by unstable soil. "That was the problem that occurred with the existing pool," Justice said. The new pool will not have a diving well, and compacted soil will be added to the site, raising the pool deck by 18 inches. Ritter said he also preferred the Helfrich site because it is "within the reach of more people." Parks Board President Steve Bohleber said he initially was, like Ritter, "concerned about location of another pool in proximity of a living wetland. I've been convinced that with the engineering, we've adequately addressed those." Howell Park was noted as a favorable location by several people who attended Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel's Aquatics Task Force meetings. Parks Director Dan Schall said Howell Park already has many recreation attractions such as miniature golf, nature trails and basketball courts. "It provided the community more of an opportunity to relax and picnic in that area," Schall said. The pools will be identical in design. They will have a zero-depth beach area, water geysers, mushroom-shaped fountains, a 16-foot-tall slide, a deck area and possibly a children's slide shaped like a frog. They also will feature a competitive swimming area with eight lanes. A hill near the location of the Bellemeade Pool will be lowered to create a more visible site, Justice said. The new Howell Pool will be built near the old one. Parking will be added, and tennis courts will be upgraded, Justice said. Two buildings will be constructed at each site, one for pool equipment and a second for a bathhouse. The bathhouses will have men's and women's locker rooms and a family restroom, where both mothers and fathers can take small children. Bids for construction of the pools are scheduled to open at the July 2 Parks Board meeting. Construction of the Howell Pool is expected to begin in July. Work on the pool at Bellemeade Park will begin in August. Both are expected to be completed by Memorial Day next year. "We're moving (forward), and we're happy about that," Ritter said after the board approved the locations. "Get to work." |
The Evansville Parks Board approved the location of two new pools at Howell and Bellemeade parks on Wednesday, despite concerns from one board member about the West Side site.
Ritter said he was pleased the project was moving forward, but would have preferred Helfrich Park as the site of the West Side pool.