Gilmer BOC holds town hall for new pool design
News February 16, 2022
ELLIJAY, Ga. – “I feel real good right now about where we are. We have a very reputable firm that has successfully completed some projects way larger than ours. They’re anxious to get our engineering done, to get to the point that we can put this out to bid. And then they will bid on it as well.” Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlie Paris told those present at a Town Hall style meeting on Thursday, February 10, 2022, that there was progress on the county’s pool design. He spoke about confidence, not only in the design and the firm, but confidence that the county will see more than just this firm bidding on the project as well.
Citizens were also excited to see actual construction as a likelihood in the near future. That near future is anticipated to begin this year.
Current Design for Gilmer’s Community Pool.
The current design that is being engineered, and is scheduled to begin the bidding process sometime in April as Chairman Paris said it might include a special called meeting, includes eight swim lanes that will no be roped off during community usage, but will be roped off for competitions and practice. The designs still includes the diving well that was discussed in January as wo whether it should still be built considering liability costs and extra construction. The diving well is separated from the main competition pool and is eleven feet deep as opposed to the mostly five foot deep pool. That depth comes up to four and a half feet in the middle. There is also two entrances into the pool, one via stairs and one zero-entry ramp.
The design also includes the slide that citizens originally asked for, but the town hall saw many asking for the end of the slide to be removable so as not to interfere or obstruct swimmers in that lane during practices and competitions.
The main focus of the board at this time, as stated in the meeting, is to “get this pool in the ground.” Picking a bid and moving quickly, the board does hope to have the pool open close or on time with the regular opening date of memorial day in 2023.
The board stated this focus as they took notes on comments from citizens on extra needs for the pool including simple things from towel hooks to major needs like bathroom repairs. The board said that smaller things like the hooks could be dealt with after the pool construction is completed. However, they also took note of citizens comments involving things like a chair lift that would need to be confirmed in the designs and anchored in the concrete.
The design also sets the diving well as the furthest from the civic center and the wading pool will be the closest to the civic center. The stairs and zero entry to the main pool will be towards the civic center and bathrooms.
Larry Lykins questioned the board on if they would continue to save the money they have over the past several years for the pool. Until now, the money was continuously saved in order to fund the pool project construction. Several other citizens followed suit with options for continued savings to fund a covering roof and building to enclose the pool or other additional facilities or projects. Paris read items from a letter he had received that requested a retractable roof instead of a closed roof.
The board said that additional funding for a roof or anything else would be a discussion the board would have to make. As it is a budget item for the year, continued plans for additional savings would occur during budget discussions, typically in October.
An additional discussion involved pool management. Lykins presented the idea that the pool needed a dedicated position for pool management and usage. He suggested it is going to be a lot busier and is going to have more requests for usage. He told the board that this could need a dedicated person for complete management of the pool instead of making it additional duties for someone already working on other things.
Discussion continued on possible swim meets and the funding that these competitions could bring to the county through the school swim team and other options. Along with that, citizens asked why there was no commitment from the school or other entities who will benefit from the pool. Chairman Paris noted that when the board was considering locations for the pool, before the returned to its current spot, the city of East Ellijay committed to purchasing property to donate to the county at the city’s cost.
Though the location fell through, they did commit to the purchase.
Citizens still asked why the school wasn’t funding or aiding in funding the project. Paris commented, “As far as the Board of Education, that’s something you would have to ask the Board of Education.”
Many citizens thanked the board for continuing progress on the project and not letting it fall by the wayside. Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson also said she was proud of the county for taking the initiative to put away funds and begin funding the pool earlier on. This process began before her election to the board with former Post 2 Commissioner Travis Crouch and former Post 1 Commissioner Dallas Miller.
Gilmer discusses possible new designs and costs for pool project
News January 31, 2022
ELLIJAY, Ga. – With little progress or interest on the county’s pool project from engineers and construction bids over the last year, the county has been looking to find reasonings for the project and adjustments that could help the project move forward to completion this year.
In a Special Called Meeting, the Board of Commissioners discussed the topic as Chairman Charlie Paris notified the board that recent inquiries have pointed to the diving well as a major issue in the pool. Both in construction and in use, the diving well produces certain liabilities for the county. A new proposal based on these findings would change the pool from its original design to a simple rectangular “competition style” pool with eight lanes and that is it.
Additionally, the county is still looking at an additional wading pool with mushrooms and other water features in it. But Paris said that many of those the county has spoken to about the designs have called the diving well a “bad idea.” Many have offered other features in place of the well, Paris noted water basketball as something that was mentioned, but any ideas offered have specifically focused on removing the diving well as a feature. Designs do still include the slide as well.
Paris also mentioned to the board that persisting on the diving well feature was a possibility if the board as a whole wished to continue. He said that he was told, “It would cost an additional quarter of a million dollars and liability insurance would become very difficult.”
Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson recalled that she too, had discussions earlier in the project about the diving well with Cherokee County. She also noted the square footage usage of a pool design either way. Ferguson said that that facility has other functions as well and it was a beautiful facility, but she also noted that in her talks she discovered the facility never breaks even financially and always costs the community to operate.
Speaking of costs and lanes, Post Commissioner Hubert Parker mentioned an option to go with six lanes and include the diving well to accommodate less of an increase in costs. He noted that he wanted to accommodate the swim team while also looking at the pool as a community pool first and foremost. He went on to add that his thoughts were that diving is very popular and would be used widely.
Parker also noted other entities with community pools with diving wells. Parker and County Attorney David Clark noted a few together including the city of Calhoun, Fannin County, and Dawson County.
Clark also noted that engineers have spoken about the liability costs but no specific number has been presented to the board with regards to the increases. The county did also approve an increase in Hotel/Motel Tax and Clark noted that TPD (Tourism Product Development) projects could include costs for the pool construction.
The county approved a a design to be engineered to specifications for eight lanes and a diving well. With increasing costs, considering eight lanes and a diving well, considering what engineers have spoken to about the construction of the pool, considering the preparation work for the pool and stabilization for the ground to support the pool, Paris told the board that a rough guess on costs could exceed $2 million.
With the design approved, however, specific numbers and costs for the pool project will come after the engineering is done and the project is bid for construction.
Pool design changes again with approval to begin bidding
News March 6, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer’s pool has undergone another edit in the weeks since the last meeting where the design was debated at length.
While the last meeting ended with no actual approved design, certain topics were presented as priorities in the pool by citizens and organizations and some of the aspects were left to be “worked in” to the pool by the design team at Premiere Pools & Spas. The design changes allow for a few changes in operations and accommodations, according to Gilmer Commission Chairman Charlie Paris.
One of the major, and most obvious, changes is the connection of the two pools into one through a walkway. Paris said, “There are a couple of advantages to this. The first is we can get by with one filtration system rather than having to have two separate… Also, we can get by with one heating system rather than having to have separate heaters both pools.”
The connection will make the one solid pool 160 feet long according to the preliminary plans presented during the meeting. The swim lanes will be 75 feet while the wade in / splash area will reach 73.5 feet at its widest point.
Paris went on to say, “The push behind this particular choice to connect these two pools is, in addition to the cost savings, this provides a better segway into the senior aerobics and any other type of activity like that that requires a varying level of depth depending on how tall the individual may be.”
This does still include the diving well and zero-entry point from previous meetings and designs but changes a few other key points noted from last month. Since it will no longer be two separate pools, the splash area will not grade down in the same direction as the lanes. The splash area will also not reach 4 feet deep, but instead only reach 3.5 feet deep with it continuing deeper into the pathway connecting the pools. The recreation pool will not be 5 feet deep the whole length, but instead rise to a 4.5 feet deep area in the middle, the same area swimmers will be on as they walk through that pathway.
While these items changed from the last meeting, no specifics design had been approved until today. In today’s meeting, not only did the item reignite the debate over the pool, the county, roads, and TSPLOST, but it did also finally see the formal adoption of a design as the Commissioners move towards bidding the project out for construction.
Paris did also say it is starting to look like the roof over to enclose the pool will be pushed as a return project next year. This has, however, been stated as a possibility and a part of the county’s plan in previous meetings as they attempt to see how far they can go in the project with the money available.
However, the meeting did see a restart on citizens debating the county’s funds and usage. Joene DePlancke specified her concerns and summed up what she called a general feeling amongst citizens as “pool vs. roads.”
She pointed to concerns about the county’s provision of a pool and school usage versus Board of Education financial support for the pool. She also noted that the county is looking at a possible major road project out Yukon Road with the construction of Clear Creek Elementary. As far as shared usage, Paris and Gilmer Parks and Recreation Director Kevan White noted that the county and rec sports do access and use school facilities like the basketball courts and football fields similar to how the school swim team would use the Recreation Pool. Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson also added that adult tennis programs use the school’s tennis courts.
DePlanke voiced other concerns about funding saying she wants the pool but the project alongside TSPLOST elections is creating the tension of a “pool vs. roads” division.
Paris, and later echoed by Ferguson, noted that much of the management in the county and government is a balancing act.
Paris said he hears the people who say that you shouldn’t build a pool and use all the money for the roads. But he also hears families and others saying they want to have the pool. He noted several equipment purchases for the road department and an equipment shed to help maintain it. He said that much of this progress is slow and he is continuing that process to improve the roads while balancing the wants and needs of all the departments in the county.
He said that the TSPLOST specifically is an option and he doesn’t personally care if it passes as he sees the progress that has been made and the path towards continued growth in that department. With Gilmer’s financial situation and its efforts to continue growing that, as evident by a much larger reserve for the county, he asserts that the progress will be made either way, with TSPLOST making it much faster.
Paris said much of the sentiment, in his opinion, on roads has changed significantly through the recent election process over Dallas Miller’s vacant seat in 2019. Many candidates “hammered” on the topic of roads during that campaign and it became a bigger issue. Paris said he has people call and talk about the need for better roads and immediate action but also how they don’t want a TSPLOST.
Ultimately, with an approved design and move to bid, the progress on Gilmer’s pool is taking steps forward this month. These designs are now what they will use to have engineering performed and construction to begin in the near future after the current demolition of the current pool ends.
Gilmer’s pool design debate
News February 20, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – With the bid for demolition awarded and proceeding, the county is starting to look closer at the projects designs and details as they prepare to take the next step towards construction of the pool design in the coming months with bids for construction.
However, a Special Called Meeting this week saw the BOC revisiting the design aspect of the pool. Many things have changed since the plans for the pool were presented to the county. While the county approved a proposal in June 2019 to have Premier Pools & Spas be the pools designed and a design was presented, County Attorney David Clark has recently informed the Commissioner that no actual approval or adoption of the design was given.
So, in preparation of bidding out a design for engineering and construction, the Commissioners set to discussing that design this week. The largest topic debated this week became the depth of the deeper end of the smaller “splash” pool. While plans originally had the deepest section of this at 2.6 feet, according to County Commission Chairman Charlie Paris, aerobics and therapy classes need this to be 4 feet deep.
The county went through discussions on several design changes and ideas, debating pros and cons of each. Some of these included combining the two pools, making part of the lap pool more shallow for this, creating to “L”s on the pool similar to the county’s old pool, and simply altering to splash pool. The discussion also grew to include general changes to the aquatic center idea for the county including covering both pools and heating both pools for year round access.
The project has also seen other changes, Paris confirmed after the meeting that placing the pool in the same location as the old one would obviously not allow for the full recreation center originally planned and designed. However, he did say this hasn’t killed that idea, but rather forced it further down the line to possibly placed elsewhere. Regardless, the county is focusing on the pools design at this time.
Considering all of these changes, the options will be sent to Premier to redo the pool design, through the numerous discussions, the Board will be sending the changes and are expected to be ready for the March meetings. Current understanding is that while the pools will still be separate, the “Rec Pool” and the “Zero-Entry Pool,” as the county decide to call the main pool with lanes and the smaller, shallower pools respectively, will see other changes.
The Rec Pool will be 5 feet deep instead of previous reports of four feet and, at one time, four feet in the middle and five feet on the ends.
The Zero-Entry Pool will slope down for nearly half of the pool and have a four feet deep area for aerobics and activities. It will also be squared off instead of the rounder shape in previous designs.
While these changes are the understanding from this special called meeting, nothing is finalized until the design is brought back before the county in March and approved.