Exciting improvements are coming to the Outdoor Pool in Harrisonville’s City Park!
Opened in 1997, the Outdoor Pool in City Park has spent more than 20 years as the hub for summer activity and community enjoyment in Harrisonville.
Kept closed in 2020, due to both public safety and financial risks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, staff were eager to reopen the pool for the 2021 season. While closely inspecting the pool as it sat empty during the 2020 season, staff noticed many public safety risks needing to be corrected and a need for some long-overdue equipment improvements. Staff were hopeful that the renovations would be able to be completed immediately. But, those hopes met resistance, as funding was not able to be secured until late in the fall and concrete work had to be delayed due to poor winter weather.
The City soon began discussions with engineering and design firms and, with the safety of the public being the most important element for the City; and following a vote from the Board of Aldermen on November 2, 2020 funding was secured for a massive renovation to the Outdoor Pool.
According to designs from Waters Edge Aquatic Design, the new renovation would include: Split entry in the zero-depth area, the installation of a splash pad with fountains, spray features and a new slide on one side of the zero-depth area, a rock-climbing wall in place of one of the diving boards, substantial repairs to the open and closed water slides, new large umbrellas and other exciting improvements! And would address key public safety concerns, such as: Repouring the floor of the pool to remove hollow pieces in the floor caused by leaking water from cracks in the floor – if the floor above these hollow pieces were to break, it is possible that water could be quickly sucked down under the floor of the pool; possibly leading to injury or worse for those swimming in the area. The renovation would also level out the pool deck at the zero-depth area, which has settled by several inches in some locations, causing a serious trip hazard for those entering the pool.
Work on the project is scheduled to begin in early spring, after concrete work was not able to be completed during the harsh winter weather. City staff expect work on the project to last approximately 20 weeks, with 18 weeks being the best-case scenario.
UPDATE: Due to insurance-bonding issues with a selected contractor, the City was forced to resolicit for bids. This has moved the projected start date for the project back to early summer and will keep the outdoor pool closed for the 2021 swim season.
With work projected to take more than four months, the pool will most likely not be able to open in time, as mentioned in an article run in the South Cass Tribune.
“The safety of our community is the top priority of every City department, and the Parks and Rec Department is no different,” Parks Director Grant Purkey said. “While we want to have the pool open as a place for people to come and relax and have fun, we need to make sure they will be safe while they are here; and without these improvements, that just is not the case.”
The average life expectancy for an outdoor pool is between 25-30 years, so City staff believe the time for replacing the pool was coming. According to Purkey, this new project would allow the City to capitalize on a low interest rate for the project’s funding – 1.35-percent – and bring an exciting and new look to this long-cherished piece of the Harrisonville parks system.