Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Mild winter aids construction
A worker preps rafters for electrical work on Tuesday morning inside the bathhouse at Hartley's new pool.
Outside work has continued at the new pool throughout the winter.
Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz estimates that 75 percent of the pool's basin in the deep end is finished. The top portion of the walls will be poured this spring.
Electrical fixtures are slated for installation inside the bathhouse.
Work at Hartley's new pool is forging ahead at full speed as winter transitions to spring.
Passersby on South Central Avenue will notice the bathhouse is up while construction of the pool itself continues on schedule. According to Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz, things are in line for the facility to be open by June 1.
"There are probably a few items that are going to be nip and tuck before opening, but they aren't things that are going to hold up the actual opening," he said.
Electricians arrived to start work on the interior of the bathhouse this week. Benz said the structure is more than 50 percent finished, while the pool basin is around 75 percent complete.
The next big phase for the construction crew will be pouring the top section of the walls and floors in the shallow area.
"Once it gets nice, they're really going to be focusing on a lot of that stuff," Benz said. "They'll be bringing another crew in."
Work on the pool has proceeded undaunted. A mild winter allowed the crew to stay on task, and there haven't been any issues with material supply shortages.
Benz said the timeframe from the $1.7 million bond issue passing in March of 2021 to the target opening date of June 1 has helped.
"Everything was kind of fast-tracked, and the contractor was able to get things ordered and lined up right away," he explained. "But I don't know if we'd want to be bidding a pool right now."
Hartley's new aquatic center is being built at the old pool's location in Neebel Park. The square footage will be comparable to its predecessor.
Once constructed, the facility will include a zero-entry play area with a family slide, four swimming lanes, deep water diving and swim area, basketball hoops and a volleyball net, new bathhouse, and a large deck area with shaded zones.
The old pool was closed last summer to allow for demolition. Benz is excited to cut the ribbon on the new one come summertime.
"People are excited to have it open," he said. "Now that the bathhouse is up, people can visibly see it. There have already been some calls about season passes, and that's a good sign."
