Charles Town awarded $1.6M land-and-water grant for Jefferson Memorial Park pool; design advances toward 2026 opening

The Charles Town Parks & Recreation Commission on Oct. 24 announced a matching land-and-water conservation grant of $1,600,695 to fund engineering, design and construction of a renovated Jefferson Memorial Park pool, part of a multi-phase project that also includes a previously awarded $250,000 grant for the pool house.

Sam, a Fracture Engineering representative, walked commissioners through schematic drawings and said the team is preparing to move from schematic design into design development. He said the city aims to advertise the contract in January–February 2025, allow a 30‑day bid period, begin construction in March–April and open a larger pool by May 2026 if the schedule holds.

Why it matters: the funding jump-starts a major recreation project the city has been planning, and early procurement choices — including buying splash‑pad equipment through cooperative purchasing agreements — could shorten vendor lead times and reduce cost.

Design highlights and decisions discussed included eliminating a proposed shade sail near the pool to preserve space for mobile bleachers, adding two family restrooms (one inside the fenced pool area and one accessible from the park), and creating a single concession/admissions footprint to improve staffing and sight lines. Sam said the landscape area adjacent to the proposed splash pad could be designed as a natural-play zone or left outside the fence; board members pressed for surfacing that would not migrate into water features.

Several commissioners raised safety and aesthetic questions about fencing. Sam noted that splash pads are typically required to be fenced by health‑department code and explained the tradeoffs among fence heights, vinyl‑coated chain link and aluminum picket systems. “There’s a fence all the way around the splash pad,” Sam said, adding that designs can use lower‑visibility finishes and bid alternates to balance appearance and cost.

On operations, the design team recommended a recirculation system for the splash pad so water is treated and reused; Sam said pass‑through systems are cheaper to install but impractical for ongoing operating costs. Commissioners also discussed mechanical‑room access, storage doors (garage vs. decorative barn doors), lifeguard visibility from a central ‘fishbowl’ staff area and the need for future vehicle access for large deliveries or bleachers.

Procurement and timeline: Sam recommended the city consider cooperative purchasing (Omni, Sourcewell) to buy splash‑pad equipment directly and have contractors install it, which can cut lead time. He told the commission that, with bidding in early 2025, a construction start in March or April would allow reopening in May 2026 with careful scheduling.

Next steps: Sam will send catalog and vendor links and return with cost detail, manufacturer options and follow-up answers on health‑code constraints. Commissioners asked staff to provide a clearer split between equipment and installation costs and to return with final concepts in the next meeting cycle.

Quotes: The Chair opened the item by announcing, “we have been awarded a 2nd land water conservation grant for the Jefferson Memorial Park pool renovation,” and Sam summarized next steps: “if you stuck to a January, February time frame for bidding, you could feasibly be under construction by March, April, which is when you need to be under construction to get it open by May 2026.”

The commission did not take a formal vote on the schematic package at this meeting; the item was presented for direction, follow-up and to collect board preferences on splash‑pad theming, surfacing and fence type.