There is a set of decisions ahead on the Lee Beran Rec Center’s indoor pool — which could well play a role in conversations restarting on a new public recreation facility.
Rec Commission board members discussed recent repairs at the pool as part of their meeting this week, including repairs to a six-inch drainage pipe. On KVOE’s Morning Show on Wednesday, Rec Commission Director Amanda Gutierrez highlighted conversations surrounding a potential $12,000 study to see what other repairs may be needed and, in effect, just how much life the 43-year-old pool may have left.
If approved, the study will go into architectural and engineering designs, as well as soil samples and a search for cast iron pipes — commonly used in the 1980s but increasingly replaced over time by the use of PVC pipe. Part of the underlying conversation also has to do with pool leakage, water heating and associated costs. The pool can lose several inches of water or anywhere from 1,200 to well over 5,000 gallons every day, depending on use and other factors. The replacement water also has to be heated to make swimmers comfortable.
Ultimately, the board decided to hold off on that decision until the Rec Commission Steering Committee can have a look at things next month. The Steering Committee is the group that developed tentative plans to build a new rec center in the southeast corner of Champions Landing property before Tyson Foods kicked off several business closures just over a year ago.
Does the conversation on the Lee Beran pool signal a lot more attention on a possible new rec center? That could well be determined at the next Steering Committee on Jan. 20, according to Board Co-Chair Erren Harter.
If the process towards a new rec center resumes, Harter says there will be at least a partial reset of previous discussions.
If a new facility gains public approval for a sales tax to fund construction, tentative plans have two pools to meet the different community needs. Regardless of the location, Gutierrez says an indoor pool is needed in Emporia because of the demand.
