The Linden City Council heard a staff presentation May 5 about several options to repair or replace the aquatic center’s signature play amenity (the concrete “pirate ship”), and discussed pool-surface work that must occur regardless of the play feature choice.

Parks staff said the ship and the pool’s Murtha surface are at the end of their useful life and that the boats must be removed from their plinths to complete resurfacing. Heath Bateman, parks and recreation director, said staff must move the ship in order to complete the surfacing work: "in order to do this surfacing, they've got to be moved." He and Parks staff presented four cost options ranging from targeted repairs to removing the ship and installing a new interactive feature.

Primary cost figures presented in the meeting:
- Ship refurbishment (including structural repairs and recoating): about $205,000 (estimate presented by staff).
- Pool surface (Murtha liner) and associated installation work required whether the ship is retained or removed: approximately $144,375 for the liner alone (staff figure); other line items for surfacing were also shown in staff materials.
- Moving the ship (lift, set on deck while work is done): an estimate in meeting materials around $29,290.
- A new modular interactive play feature from a vendor (Vortex) was shown as another option, with a quoted price roughly in the $300,000 range; staff said that option would provide a modern, climbable interactive play structure but would replace the pool’s current, unique identity piece.

Parks staff and the company that originally built the ship (or engineers who worked on it) had inspected the structure; staff cautioned that the condition under the ship would become fully known only when it is lifted and inspected. Alex and Alan (parks staff) told the council that the metal framework appeared in reasonably good shape for its age but that concrete patches are failing in places and that repairs would include sandblasting, concrete repair, epoxy rebar protection and recoating.

Council members asked about expected lifespans and warranties. Staff reported that typical playground/play-structure lifespans and warranties commonly used by municipal playground teams run roughly 10–12 years for many playground surfaces and 15–20 years for well-executed surfacing in outdoor pools; the existing ship and surfacing have been in place about 16 seasons. Several members said the ship contributes to the pool’s identity and that preserving it would retain a feature popular with toddlers and younger children; others raised the practical point that if the ship is lifted and found beyond economical repair, replacement may be necessary.

There was no vote; the item was identified as a discussion item and staff will return with firmer cost estimates and a recommended procurement path. Staff also noted that if the council decided to remove the ship and cut out the plinths, additional floor demolition and repouring could add another roughly $100,000 to costs.

Why it matters: the pool surfacing is required maintenance; moving or removing the play feature is a near-term decision that affects safety, accessibility (0‑entry considerations), capital cost and the pool’s appeal to families. Council members expressed informal support for preserving the ship if a practical, cost‑effective repair path exists, and asked staff to proceed with more detailed quotes and a plan that minimizes downtime for the pool.