Making a splash at the Rockwell Aquatic Center A Pioneer Enterprise Publication PHOTOS BY TRAVIS FISCHER JUNE 3, 2010
Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 2 Rockwell Recreation Board John Degen, Kelly Brown, Tim Nuehring, Pool Manager Emily Egertson, David Laudner, and Adam Wedmore. Pool Board Ready To Make A Splash In Rockwell By Travis Fischer Getting a brand new pool up and running is no easy task. Hundreds of things need to be done and countless decisions must be made. For the last two years, these tasks have been done by the Rockwell Pool Board. When the city gained control of the pool, the city council decided that a separate board should be created to oversee the project rather than have the council micromanage. Made up of two city council members, Adam Wedmore and David Laudner; a Chamber of Commerce member, John Degen; a member of the Lions Club, Tim Nuehring, and one outstanding citizen member, Kelly Brown; the pool board has managed every aspect of the project. Everything is brand new and everything has to be sighted and set, says board president Adam Wedmore. From overseeing the construction of the pool to purchasing equipment and hiring employees, the pool board has had to keep up with the incredible amount of work required to start up a project as large as this. The last year it s gotten busy, the last six months it s gotten hectic, but the last two weeks it s gotten crazy, says Wedmore. Meeting weekly or every other week, depending on what needs to be done, the board has given up many hours of their evenings to complete their task. This volunteer work is all the more notable when considering that they have other volunteer commitments in their schedule already. I think it s pretty admirable that the five people on here are active in other things in the community, says David Laudner. Everyone has a lot on their plate and still comes back to the table. Fortunately for the board with all the challenges they ve face, support from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. There have been no problems with naysayers since they began. The best thing about being on this board is the community support, says Tim Nuehring. The whole community has been kind and supportive. Once the pool is open the board may be able to take a bit of a breather, but they won t be stopping any time soon. Though often called the pool board, they are technically a recreation board and are planning to continue meeting to revitalize the rest of the area. The city council and the Lions have set aside plans for a skate park down there someplace, says John Degen. I m sure that will come up again. Whatever the future may hold, today the board is ready to see the results of all their efforts. It s been a lot of work, says Wedmore. But it ll be worth it to see that first kid go down that slide. Congratulations! Dean Snyder Construction is proud to have been the general contractor for your new pool. General Construction/Design-Build/Construction Management Clear Lake (641) 357-2283 www.deansnyderconst.com Ankeny (515) 289-0720
The Rockwell Aquatic Center: A Two Year Journey Nears Its End By Travis Fischer After months of anticipation the new pool in Rockwell is finally opened up and ready for swimmers! It was May of 2008 when the city first entered into the process of transferring the property over from Lynn Grove. As the city council took on responsibility for the pool, they knew that drastic measures would need to be taken to keep the swimming pool viable. After 40 years of use, the old pool suffered from leaks that lost about 14,000 gallons of water a day and had no heating system or working filtration device. A public meeting was held in September that year to inform residents of Rockwell about the situation the pool was in. It s starting to become questionable whether it s physically safe to have people around, said Adam Wedmore of the newly formed pool board at the meeting. The solution: Build a new pool. The proposed pool promised 5,282 sq. feet of water surface (more than twice the size of the old one), with roughly 4,500 sq. feet of deck, a zero depth area with children s play equipment, three slides, and a diving board. However, to pay for the project the city needed to ask voters to grant permission to bond for $1.5 million, increasing the tax rate by $1.14 to $1.70 a year for twentyfive years. If the bond issue couldn t be passed, the alternative was the permanent closure of the pool. Needing a 60% majority vote to pass, Rockwell voters made their decision on November 4, 2008. With 419 votes for the project, a 72.42% majority, the city was given the green light to get to work. The pool board spent the winter working with engineers to design the new pool, followed by the deconstruction on the old one in the spring. Bids for the job of building the new pool were opened on July 1, 2009. Seven companies bid on the project and the city council was happy to find that all of the bids were more competitive than expected. After examining both bids and bidders, it was Dean Snyder Construction s bid of $1.157 million that won over the council. The Clear Lake based construction crew offered the lowest bid and came at the recommendation of both the engineer and the pool board. A bid for nearly a third less than the $1.5 million that was bonded for was great news for Rockwell taxpayers, but generous donations from the community has lowered the tax burden even further. The Rockwell Lions Club, who have been behind the pool since it was first installed decades ago, pledged $250,000 to pay for the construction of the bathhouse. The Chamber of commerce has also donated $50,000 to the project and the city itself has arranged to make yearly payments. Every dollar raised expedites the process of paying off the bond. Work on the pool started in August of 2009 with the construction crew digging the giant hole in the summer heat. As the weather cooled, they raced against the oncoming winter to get as much concrete poured as possible before the snow fell. This was the first time Dean Snyder Construction had built a pool but, according to Superintendent Mike Dorenkamp, they were no strangers to large concrete works. We d done all the types of work. We d poured concrete floors and concrete walls before, so it was basically that, said Dorenkamp. There were just a lot more pipes and stuff in the concrete. Over the winter, focus turned to the bathhouse. When the first snow fell the roof was little more than a frame. That changed quickly as Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 3 the temperatures dropped. By the time the snow began to melt in the spring the bathhouse was nearly ready to go. Once the weather warmed up again, work on the pool itself began anew. People passing the pool on the street got to watch as slides, diving boards, umbrellas, and more went up week after week. With the last finishing touches complete, the immense project has come a long way from a large hole in the dirt. A lot has happened in the two years since the City of Rockwell took on responsibility for the city pool, but at long last their efforts have paid off. Congratulations Rockwell on your NEW POOL We appreciate being selected as your plumbing contractor. Clausen Plumbing & Heating 519 N. Federal Avenue, Mason City, IA (641) 423-1034 Huntbatch Insurance & Real Estate is proud of Rockwell and their new pool!!
Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 4 October 2009 February 2009 August 2009 September 2009 Stop - N - Shop Salutes Rockwell on its wonderful new pool Stop-N-Shop 104 1st St. N. Rockwell, IA (641) 822-4710 114 S. 3rd St., Rockwell, Iowa 641-822-4918 We ve come a long ways and we have a wonderful new pool
November 2009 December 2009 Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 5 April 2010 March 2010 May 2010
Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 6 Grand Opening May 29, 2010 Dugan s Super Market 202 4th Street N. ROCKWELL, IOWA 50469 (641) 822-4998 Rockwell just keeps on improving with the new pool
Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 7 Congratulations Rockwell on a great new pool! ROCKWELL COOPERATIVE TELEPHONE ASSN. 111 4th St. N., Rockwell 822-3211
Rockwell Pool, June 3, 2010 - Page 8 Ready to take a dip?