Iowa City Today

The Iowa City Council hopes to make a splash this summer, recently discussing possible improvements at its pools and aquatic centers.

According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the city’s aquatic facilities include City Park Pool, Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center and the Mercer Park Aquatic Center. During a recent Council meeting streamed on YouTube, the Council heard from residents seeking information about the city’s plans for its facilities. Ben Clark, Iowa City senior engineer, also provided an update on the Mercer Park facility's exterior issues.

“The sidewalk entrance to the building heaves a lot in the wintertime,” he told the Council. “It's a trip hazard. We've had a number of calls about that. We've got some damaged pavement around the around the outside of the building. In front of the building there are some deficiencies with ADA parking out here. No van accessible spaces, the signs aren't quite up to code. We've got curb ramps and then also grades are a little bit too steep in some places.”

The Council agreed to move forward with some work at the Mercer Aquatic Center and voted to seek bids for exterior improvements.

The Council learned during the meeting that the Mercer Aquatic Center and Scanlon Gym entrance was completed 35 years ago and had never been updated. It agreed to seek the project plan and price estimate for main entrance improvements and lighting fixtures, with the cost earmarked at a minimum of $305,000.

Moreover, the Council agreed that ADA-accessible parking, ramps and sidewalks would be reworked for improved access and LED fixtures would replace outdated lighting, voting to seek bids for the work.

The Council recently adopted a master plan for all its pool facilities. This includes redesigning and reconstructing City Park Pool, with design work starting next year and construction work in 2025.

Two residents who addressed the Council hoped it would rethink significant changes to the pool, noting that it is well-suited for swimmers and other users. They suggested worries about ADA compliance could be corrected with improvements to the walkways and restrooms near the pool, with the pool itself primarily within the ADA guidelines.

To give residents ample time to chime in, the City Council said during the meeting that it would wait until the City Park Pool project is completed before making any decisions on improvements at the Robert A. Lee facility.