My apologies!  See my corrections below and in the headline.

On the agenda for tonight’s Decatur City Commission meeting: providing $1 million more to renovate Ebster Pool.

Back in August, the city estimated $1 million to renovate Ebster Pool with the following new amenities:

• Changes to the pool to reduce its length from 25 meters to 25 yards and to widen the pool to provide 8 lanes for competitive swimming.
• Overhead lighting to allow longer hours for swimming meets.
• New mechanical systems to replace the original filtration tanks and pumps installed when the pool was built over 30 years ago.
• Complete renovation of the bathhouse to include new men’s and women’s changing rooms, a family changing room, new staff office.
• New lift for disabled swimmers, new water fountains, fencing and other amenities

Now a letter from Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon states that the pool renovation will cost an additional $1,094,000 to complete the project as part of the Beacon Hill complex development.  That’s an extra $94,000.  Mr. Saxon says that there are still funds to in the project’s larger budget to cover the increase.

In an effort to limit costs Mr. Saxon notes…

…we are planning to re-use existing shade structures and to rough-in a spray pad. As we get closer to completing the entire Beacon project. We’ll be better able to determine whether we can add back the equipment for the spray pad.

At Monday’s City Commission meeting, the commission approved the plan for the renovation of Ebster Pool, which has been an on-and-off topic of discussion for the past year or so.  According to the meeting agenda, “The plan includes the following elements:”

The Decatur City Commission is set to vote tomorrow night on putting $98,500 towards “surveying, design and construction administration services for the Ebster Pool and Bathhouse improvements building”, according to a letter from Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon.  See tonight’s agenda for more info.

The agreement is with Lyman Davidson Dooley, the firm which also designed the pool and bathhouse at McKoy Park and “provided excellent service”.

Mr. Saxon goes on…

Active Living Director Dan McGee writes in to let us know that the city is offering a smorgasbord (my word, not his) of new aquatics programs this summer.  Click here for details on all of this year’s adult and kid classes along with info on pool memberships, fees and rentals.

Dan also notes that in addition to the Glenlake bathhouse opening next Friday, improvements are also coming soon to Ebster pool – the only city pool with a diving board and deep end!