City officials say Lincoln Pool is on its last legs

City officials aren't completely sure, but the Aug. 17 seasonal shutdown of Lincoln Pool may have been its last.

Grand Island Parks and Recreation Director Steve Paustian said Lincoln Pool at Lincoln Park has endured water clarity issues for a number of years.

But the problem is near its end.

"The situation has digressed … leaving us in a position of having to strongly consider not opening the facility in the spring," said Grand Island City Administrator Jeff Pederson.

Paustian used a human body analogy to describe the pool's problem recently to the Grand Island City Council.

"The heart is reasonably new -- 10 to 12 years old -- it's in pretty good shape," Paustian said. "But the blood vessels to the heart are all clogged up.

"We have about one-third of our recirculation lines not working at all and a lot of the other ones aren't working at full potential, so we simply do not get the turnover as required to keep the pool clean," he said.

There are health and safety concerns with the condition and clarity of the water. The standard test used the past few seasons was if staff couldn't see the pool's main drain, the pool didn't open.

Not opening happened a lot last year and even more times this year, Paustian said.

Many of the 30 private pool parties there had to be canceled. Lessons were called off. Open swimming was shut down with patrons being given Island Oasis Water Park passes instead. But many of those water park passes went unused, Paustian said, likely because of a lack of transportation for the neighborhood pool users to go to another venue.

"We're trying to come up with a strategy. We may go on an every other day for open swimming to give the pool more time to try to catch up … we might try to program it more for lessons," Paustian said.

But the bottom line is the 35-year-old pool has aged plumbing and fixing that doesn't make a lot of financial sense since the pool also has handicapped accessibility issues and a 25-year-old slide that has been rewelded many times.

Building a new pool is estimated to cost $1.6 million -- something Paustian has in the city budget for 2013.

Pederson thinks the pool will "collapse" before then and wants the city council to consider replacement plans.

Councilwoman Joyce Haase said she still gets lots of requests for the city to have a 50-meter competitive swimming pool and thinks that should be considered.

"I don't feel  comfortable saying that the majority of people want to see that kind of pool," Paustian said. "The trend certainly around the country, around Nebraska and everywhere else is the leisure type pool, with the zero-depth entrance and the play activities."

He would like to see consideration given to relocating the pool to an area surrounded by more neighborhoods.

"Maybe something a little more centrally located for that area -- a larger density of population on all four sides -- in effect, Lion's Club Park," Paustian said.

Paustian said Lion's Club Park has some access issues due to the elevated Burlington Northern railroad tracks -- but does have crossings at Fourth and 10th streets.

If a new location is selected, public input would be sought, he said.

Paustian also wants the council to be aware of a possible change in aquatics projects. Instead of the $1.4 million budgeted in the 2010 year for a children's wet play area at Island Oasis Water Park, Lincoln Pool may become the priority.

"We're not doing a good job over there. We're not probably making every patron happy and I don't see it getting any better without a major modification," Paustian said of Lincoln Pool during recent city budget talks.

As far as swimming at city facilities yet this season, Island Oasis Water Park closed for the 2008 season at 9 last night.

The city's four wading pools will remain open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Labor Day. They are located in Lincoln Park, Pier Park, Grace Abbott Park and Stolley Park.