Kettering Rec upgrades to cost more than expected

City officials have agreed to spend more money on a project that will make upgrades and improvements to the pool and locker room areas at the Kettering Recreation Complex. It is the first time in 7 years that major renovations have taken place at the complex.

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City Manager Mark Schwieterman said the project was originally estimated to have a price tag of $175,000, but more funding will be needed to complete renovations that involve the replacement of the pool deck and the surrounding locker room areas.

“When the quotes came back for the project, the costs were significantly higher than that,” he said. “We issued new quotes that amended the scope in a material nature, and the new update is $227,300.”

Renovations for the indoor pool include complete replacement of the pool deck around the pool as well as into the men’s and women’s locker rooms. It will also involve drainage work in the locker rooms to improve conditions there, according to city officials.

“We will be replacing attachments to the deck with stainless steel attachments, so when we reattach ladders and the dive board and things like that, it will be done in a proper fashion,” Schwieterman said.

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He added that the project will start during the pool’s closure period, which begins the week after Labor Day and runs into early October.

In 2011, the pool, whirlpool and sauna were upgraded and enlarged, and the translucent retractable roof and expanded pool deck were added to the rec center/water park.

The water park and pool improvements were part of a $10.9 million, two-year rec center improvement project that was designed based on feedback from the community.

The Rec Center also added nearly 8,000 square feet of fitness space, doubled the fitness equipment, repurposed rooms for more group fitness classes, improved entrances and provided general upgrades throughout the complex.

The renovations were paid for by a 2008 bond issue and money from the city’s capital improvement fund.

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The indoor pool is open year-round, boasts eight lanes and stretches 25 yards. Several activities, from swimming lessons to water exercise classes, are held at the indoor pool.

It is also home to the Kettering City Swim and the Fairmont High School Swim teams.

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