Proposed Aquatics Center Details Shared at Community Input Session

The city of Janesville is considering replacing a wading pool that’s been a fixture at Palmer Park for nearly 90 years with an aquatics center at a new location in the park.

The proposed new Palmer Aquatics Facility would be built on the west end of South Harmony Drive in Palmer Park. It would include a zero-depth entry, aquatic play features, lap lanes and other amenities. Other proposed features include a new pool building to house mechanicals, bathroom/showers, a staff area and concessions. In 2021 cost estimates were between $2.5 million and $4 million.

Blake Thiessen, a landscape architect at the design firm Parkiture and Planning of Madison, said final designs are expected to be done and the public bidding process for construction contractors is expected to happen in June or July. He said a more final price tag will be shared as part of that process.

Construction would start in the fall and is envisioned to be done by the spring of 2025.

The Palmer Wading Pool, built in 1936, has been periodically renovated over the years, including in 1989 and 2009.

A 2021 evaluation determined that the existing wading pool had reached the end of its useful life. Major issues identified then included depressions, cracks and fault lines in the concrete slab at the bottom of the 63,000-gallon pool, leading to significant leaks and water loss.

City officials say the new location would offer many advantages, including its proximity to other park amenities, and a location outside of a flood zone. It would be in a now-underutilized area of the park, opening up new programming and special event space, and offering additional parking to serve all park users.

At Tuesday’s event, attendees noted that the current wading pool serves children age 8 and under. Theisen said the hope is that the new aquatics center appeals to a wide variety of people and ages, with amenities such as three 25-yard lap lanes, a large play structure and lounge chairs.

Attendees were able to vote on several different options that the design firm provided — from seating areas, to the color of shading tents, to location of the tents, to the play set and the color of the building

Theisen said the aim is to keep the building design “classic” and consistent with the surrounding buildings’ dark browns hues and stone textures.

Not having lockers in changing rooms is another option, that other communities have embraced, as a way to keep changing areas clean. However, if deemed by users a necessity, they could be offered in an outdoor area.

City Recreation Director Shelly Slapack said what is proposed is unique and different from what Janesville has now. The Rockport Pool is large and deep and not suitable for younger kids, she noted.

Some attendees questioned the capacity of the proposed aquatics center, noting that it could serve up to 330 users at a time, down from the 540-person capacity of the wading pool.

Theisen said the proposed aquatics center couldn’t be bigger because of surrounding floodplains and wooded areas.

Slapack said the hope is to keep the current wading pool open this summer. However, she said a coming review of pipes and other mechanicals will ultimately determine whether it can be opened.

View Article Here.