Waynesburg pool to close early for water park construction
WAYNESBURG – The existing swimming pool in Waynesburg will close earlier than expected, likely one to two weeks prior to Labor Day, to accommodate construction of the county’s new water park, Greene County Commissioners said Thursday after awarding contracts for the project’s construction. The construction of the water park was set to begin after the existing pool closed after Labor Day. Commission Chairwoman Pam Snyder said Thursday that the closing date would be pushed forward, but those who buy season passes will be compensated with admittance to the new water park, which is scheduled to open before Memorial Day 2007.
“It will close one, maybe two, weeks before Labor Day to make next year’s opening,” Snyder said after the commissioners’ regular meeting. “Those who buy season passes will be able to use them at the other pool.”
The change in the existing pool’s closing came after the commissioners awarded contracts for construction of the water park, which was divided into one contract for general construction and one contract for aquatic construction.
Masscon Inc. of Uniontown was the apparent low bid for general construction at $1,809,000, according to chief county clerk Gene Lee. Port Vue Plumbing of McKeesport was the apparent low bid for the aquatic construction at $1,174,285, Lee said. The total cost of the project, which includes some additions, is $2,983,285.
The bids came in lower than originally expected, Snyder said after the meeting.
Funding for the center is expected to primarily come from a combination of state and federal grants, as well as matching funds from the county. The county has received $1.75 million in state and federal money.
In 2004, commissioners accepted a federal grant that will be used for the construction of the new center from a recreational grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last summer, state Rep. H. William DeWeese (D-Waynesburg) and state Sen. J. Barry Stout (D-Eighty Four) presented the county with $900,000 in funding earmarked through the state’s capital budget; the funding included a 50/50 matching fund from the county, which was matched through the property value.
The existing pool and the adjacent tennis courts, located across Route 21 from the county fairgrounds, will be razed to make room for the water park and its parking lot. The tennis courts will be relocated, but selection of the new site has not been finalized.
On April 20, park designer Wayne Wade of Wade Associates of Harrisburg called the water park, “the nicest premier project in this area.”
According to Wade, the pool will have sloping, beach-type access from three sides. The pool will feature a play area, children’s area, two tube slides, an area for diving and swimming laps, men’s and women’s bathhouses and a “lazy river” where the current will gently carry people in inner tubes around a course shaped like a bent hot dog.
Before adjourning, the commissioners also rejected two bids for the next leg of the Greene River Trail because of a discrepancy over incorrect codes in the bid proposals.
According to Jake Blaker, county director of recreation, the county awarded the contract on April 20 and the proposal went through the state Department of Transportation in Uniontown and then to Harrisburg, where it was discovered that incorrect codes were used for the different aspects of the work to be done.
The problem was essentially a typographical one, Blaker said. This is the second time the trial work has had to be re-bid, and the process may mean bid numbers could change.
The rejected bids were submitted as $378,206 from Kurtyka Enterprises of Rices Landing and $437,939 from Atlas Services of Eighty Four.
The commissioners also proclaimed the coming week “Cover the Uninsured Week” in Greene County. Barbara Breitenstein, outreach and development specialist for Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, presented the commissioners with information about programs such as C.H.I.P. and Adult Basic, that offer low-cost options for health insurance.
Breitenstein said there often is a stigma around programs such as these in a hardworking area like southwestern Pennsylvania, but there are more than 1 million people in the state that are uninsured.
“We’re trying to get these families to take advantage of this wonderful resource,” Breitenstein said, referring to programs like C.H.I.P. and Adult Basic.
“This is an important issue in the county and that’s why the commissioners are supporting it,” said Tracy Zivkovich, county human resources director.
The commissioners also approved several 2006 Greene County Department of Recreation mini-grant applications including: $3,000 for Clarksville Sports Complex Field of Dreams for fence, post and bleachers; $3,000 for Bobtown Park in Dunkard Township for fencing, paint, lumber and new tables; $3,000 for King Coal Girls Softball Field in Cumberland Township for construction of two dugouts for the new softball field and materials to replace roofs on existing dugouts; $3,000 for Carmichaels American Legion for repair of roofs and fascia of both dugouts at American Legion Baseball Field at Wana B Park and to install black plastic sheeting around the field’s warning track; and $3,000 for Madison Field in Waynesburg Borough for upkeep and maintenance.