Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Recreation Aquatic Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marion council hears Aquatic Center and Willowwood Park update; CMAR on board and 60% design targeted before bond vote
Summary
Consultants and city staff presented schematic design progress for a replacement aquatic center at Willowwood Park, announced a construction manager at‑risk has been selected, and set a schedule aiming for 60% construction documents by late July to support a planned bond referendum and minimize post‑vote cost risk.
Seth, a city staff member, and Lauren Osborne of Watershed Aquatics updated the Marion City Council on the Willowwood Park and Aquatic Center redevelopment, describing public engagement, site work, and a multi‑component design that pairs wet aquatic facilities with “dry recreation” amenities such as pickleball, playgrounds, pavilions and multipurpose courts.
Lauren Osborne summarized site condition findings for the existing Willowood pool, saying maintenance records back to 2012 show rising repair costs and that “you have nearly a 40‑year‑old pool” with several nonoperable systems. She identified items likely to recur over five years and said concrete repairs to the pool basin had worsened since the last assessment.
City staff said a construction manager at risk (CMAR) has been selected to work with designers and that the team is proceeding to schematic design. The program timeline calls for schematic completion later this month, followed by 30% and 60% construction documents and pricing. Staff said the 60% package and final pricing are being advanced to provide voters a more stable cost estimate for the planned bond referendum; the team intends to use the CMAR’s early input to narrow the contingency and reduce the likelihood of returning to voters for more money.
Council members pressed whether the 60% threshold would be sufficiently stable and whether contingencies would cover future supply‑chain or labor cost changes. Staff said bringing the CMAR on early allows value engineering ahead of bid and that the manager will include management reserves and contingency to buffer emergent adjustments.
Public outreach remains active: the project team held a steering committee meeting immediately before the council session, an open house was scheduled after the meeting, an online survey was open through March 31, a public pool walkthrough was planned for May 3, and the city will present at the Marion YMCA showcase in late April. Staff said phasing options are being preserved in the design so higher‑priority components can be delivered first if the council and voters choose a phased approach.
No formal council action was taken on the design at the meeting; staff asked for continued public input and planning coordination ahead of the bond timetable that could enable construction in 2026 and completion in 2027 if the referendum passes.
