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Milford budget session weighs pool roof, misters and asks council to increase PO for Red Complex awning
Summary
At a Milford budget work session staff reviewed a range of recreation projects — from a proposed metal roof for the pool and shade/mister installations to painting and a new diving board — and asked council approval to raise a purchase order for a Red Complex concession awning to $7,500.
At a Milford City Council budget work session, city staff reviewed a slate of proposed Recreation Department capital items for the Red Complex and the municipal pool, and asked the council for approval to increase a purchase order for a concession awning.
City staff said the pool’s metal roof remains the most durable option among bids the city received; staff cited an asphalt-shingle bid of $23,000 and a metal-roof bid of $27,800. "Capital outlay is only 19,000 for the pool right now," a city staff member said, noting the current available pool capital funds would not fully cover the metal-roof price without further budget adjustments.
Staff asked the council to authorize an increase to PO #22448 to $7,500 so the contractor can replace an awning at the Red Complex concession stand. The staff request breaks the $7,500 into a $6,100 awning cost (including metal) plus $1,400 in material and $2,500 for labor; staff described the recommendation as a change to an earlier $2,248 purchase order and requested council approval to proceed. The council did not take a roll-call vote during the work session.
Park staff also discussed lower-cost, immediate comfort upgrades at the pool such as shade canopies and misting lines. Options proposed included shade canopies, small tubing for misting lines attached to a building, or freestanding mounts; one council member suggested budgeting roughly $3,000 to begin. Staff described the misting hardware as "not that expensive" and said it could be installed to serve benches and lifeguard areas.
Other pool items discussed included: replacing the diving board (staff reported the current unit lacked a spring and caused a child injury last season), repainting the pool interior (staff estimated $20,000 as a rough placeholder), assessing the winter tarp only when removed for condition, and delaying wholesale replacement of PVC piping until failure was documented. Staff said last year’s pool supplier inspected piping and advised against replacement unless problems appear.
Staff also reported smaller equipment requests for the Red Complex maintenance crew: a battery jumper/charger, a brick/masonry inspection for cracking, and a possible fence/awning program for spectator bleachers. On bleacher shading and netting, staff presented a long-term scheme that could require substantially more funding if installed system-wide; a single quoted netting example was roughly $4,000 for a 50-by-50-foot panel, and vendor estimates for prefabricated awnings were roughly $7,700 per bleacher set.
The session included discussion of tradeoffs and sequencing: several council members recommended prioritizing shade or misting first, then reassessing remaining funds for painting, the roof, or a diving-board replacement. No binding appropriation was adopted on the floor of the work session; staff asked the council for authorization to change the PO and for direction on which recreation items to prioritize in the upcoming formal budget.
Staff reiterated that some items can be addressed within existing operating funds while others would require a formal addition to the fiscal-year budget.
Ending: Staff said they will obtain outstanding bids (including a mini-split vs. swamp-cooler repair estimate for a storage area), collect more precise painting and diving-board quotes, and return with formal budget language and a proposed PO amendment for council action in a regular meeting.
