Athens City Council members said the city is accepting public donations for aesthetic items for the new municipal pool.
Construction on the new pool, which has a budget of $6.9 million, began in August and is set to finish in May. The new pool will be on the site of the previous 45-year-old community pool, at 701 E. State St., according to a previous Post report.
The new pool will have a concession stand, a zero-entry main swimming pool, a special pool for children, a splash pad, two slides, a pool house with restrooms and storage, and a lap pool. It will also feature saltwater chlorination, which is a more environmentally friendly sanitation method, according to a previous Post report.
Several aesthetic items had to be eliminated from the project because they exceeded the budget. Between $50,000 to $60,000 worth of items that were removed from the final project could be added back in with donations, Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said at the Feb. 26 Athens City Council Meeting.
Patterson said there are three different entities that have reached out to donate a total of around $15,000.
“There have been citizens in Athens who have come forward and asked if they could donate money to the city for some of the value engineering items … that had to be pulled off,” Patterson said.
Donations for the pool are tax deductible, Athens City Auditor Kathy Hecht said at the Feb. 26 meeting.
One of the items that was eliminated was decorative fencing that would go around the pool. Because the cost was too high, the fence will only go on the front of the pool and partially on the sides. The rest of the pool will be fenced in with black chain link fence. It would cost around $24,000 to have the decorative fencing all the way around the pool.
Another item that was eliminated from the project was an ornate gate. The gate would have the same wrought iron motif as the security grates at The Ridges over the entranceway to the pool. The decorative gate would cost around $12,000, Patterson said.
The pool was also originally supposed to have a tile entryway, which had to be removed from the final plan for cost reasons. Instead, the pool will have a concrete entrance with Athens blocks integrated into the concrete. The plan to lay Athens blocks will cost $20,000.
“These are items that hold a lot of aesthetic value for a pool that we hope sticks around for another 40 years,” Patterson said.
Athens City Council President Chris Knisely said donations can be sent to the Athens City auditor. The memo line must indicate that it is a donation for the city pool.
