Guthrie council approves two‑phase approach for Highland Park Pool renovation

Guthrie — The City Council voted unanimously April 7 to advance a two‑phase renovation plan for Highland Park Pool, approving staff and consultant work to complete phase‑one design and to prepare funding and procurement options for a later phase that would add a second, larger pool.

Public works director Tim Maker said staff and the Friends of Highland Park Pool asked architects GH2 and construction manager Crossland to develop phased options after a March 5 meeting with community stakeholders. Daniel Smith of GH2 Architects presented a phase‑one plan roughly similar in size to the earlier design (about 1,500 square feet) and a conceptual phase‑two addition of about 2,300 square feet. Smith said designers removed the zero‑depth entry requested earlier and proposed a traditional 3‑ft stepped entry, with either a ramp or an ADA chair lift for accessibility.

Why it matters: staff and the council framed the phased approach as a way to begin work with funding currently available while giving Friends of the Pool and other donors a clear target for additional fundraising. A Crossland representative briefed council on preliminary cost estimates tied to 50% design work; an April 2025 estimate cited in the presentation was about $2.3 million for the earlier design, and speakers said a second pool could add roughly $2 million depending on options and final engineering. All figures were described in the meeting as estimates pending 100% design and public bidding.

Councilors raised operational questions about whether two pools should share filtration and chemical systems or run on separate, redundant systems so one pool could remain open if the other is drained for maintenance. GH2 and staff said both approaches are feasible but involve tradeoffs: shared systems require larger up‑front equipment and complicate maintenance, while duplicated systems increase initial cost but provide operational redundancy.

On accessibility and code: staff and GH2 said recent adoption by the state of the International Swimming Pool Code changed restroom and shower requirements and factored into bathhouse sizing. Designers said they aim to size phase‑one bathhouse and adjacent park restrooms to accommodate a future second pool where practical without demolishing the existing historic bathhouse.

What the council approved: councilors voted to authorize Crossland to develop the design and funding options for a two‑phase approach and accepted the modification to eliminate the zero‑grade entry in favor of a traditional 3‑ft entry with steps (and ADA accommodations). The motion called for staff to continue design to the level required for bidding; council members and staff recommended a 95%–100% cost review before issuing bid documents.

Costs and next steps: presenters emphasized that the numbers shown were estimates and that final budgets will be refined during the remaining design and engineering work. Staff said the city will proceed with design revisions and bring 100% plans and an updated budget back to council before soliciting construction bids. The Friends of Highland Park Pool have raised private donations and pledges (presenters noted roughly $375,000 raised in under a year), which council members said helps momentum but does not replace the need for formal engineering, procurement and public funding decisions.

The council’s action was procedural: it advances design work and preserves the option for a second pool if and when fundraising or other funding becomes available. The council made the motion and voted unanimously to proceed with the two‑phase plan and the zero‑entry modification. Staff expects to return with refined cost estimates and procurement timelines after completing additional design milestones.