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Port Aransas parks director says rec center is on schedule, flags aging pool and short-term slide closure
Summary
The Parks Department reported rec center construction is progressing and staff are finalizing AV, security and equipment plans; the main pool slide will close about a month for deck work and the department has asked architects for ballpark costs to repair or replace the 30-year-old pool.
The Department Director (name not stated in the transcript) told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on June 10 that "rec center construction is on schedule" and staff are finalizing audio-visual systems, security cameras and initial furniture and equipment quotes.
The director said the city will present options to council including lease-versus-purchase scenarios for exercise equipment. She noted that some equipment can be leased and swapped if it goes unused. "We're working with a company on all the audio visual needs," she said, describing the rec centers complex PA and digital-display requirements.
Why it matters: the rec center is the largest capital project discussed and will concentrate programming now spread across facilities. The department is preparing numbers for the June 30 council goals workshop so elected officials can weigh staffing, furnishing and fee decisions ahead of opening.
Pool operations and short-term impacts: the director said crews will pour a new deck behind the existing red-and-blue slide, taking that slide offline for about a month and installing a temporary fence to keep patrons safe. "The red and blue slide will get taken offline for about a month," she said, adding the small slide will remain available.
Longer-term concerns: staff reported multiple mechanical and structural issues at the 30-year-old poolincluding chiller failure, plaster cracking and voids found under an emergency ramp. The director has requested cost estimates from aquatics consultants for options ranging from retrofit to full replacement, and told the board she will bring those ballpark figures to the goals workshop. She said a new pool would likely be a multimillion-dollar project and noted the city has used a tax anticipation note and hot-tax revenue to fund the rec center.
Swim-team demands: board members and patrons said the citys competitive swim team and user groups are near current capacity; the director said the team roster is about 75 swimmers and that two pools would allow scheduling flexibility for lap swimmers, lessons and recreation.
Operational details and next steps: staff will present detailed equipment and furnishing costs to council and will propose fee adjustments later this summer. Construction is scheduled to be substantially complete in December, the director said, though she and other staff expressed hope some access could come earlier in spring.
The board approved previous meeting minutes and set the next Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting for Sept. 9 at 2 p.m.
