Planning underway for Wallace pool

WALLACE – For the second straight summer, the residents of Wallace are going to have to find somewhere else to beat the summer heat, as the city pool will once again be closed for the season.

Announced at April’s Wallace City Council meeting, the pool is still struggling with a myriad of repair issues including several leaks that can’t seem to be located. In the meantime though, work is underway to assess the full situation and then present some plans to the residents of Wallace to see what they want the future of the pool to be.

At the same city council meeting, city engineer Jim Roletto got the Council’s approval to move forward with a $29,000 contract with engineering firm Terracon, who has a division specifically designated for aquatics.

Terracon offers services such as rehabilitation, as well as distressed facility evaluations, which is right in the ballpark of where the City will need to begin their decision making process.

Wallace City Councilwoman Heather Branstetter has been working behind the scenes extensively trying to gauge the local resident’s opinions and formulate a picture of what the community would like to see for their swimming pool.

Both Branstetter and Roletto are hoping that Terracon can take a look at the current situation and come up with a few proposals that fit the community’s wishes.

The base option would consist of figuring out the current issues and getting them fixed so that the pool can be opened again, as it has historically been through the summer months.

There are a few things Branstetter is sure of though- the residents do not want to waste money and they would love to see the pool be open year-round.

“There are so many community members who have talked to me about not wanting to sink a bunch more money into a hole and only using it two months of the year,” Branstetter said. “Based on community feedback so far, I think we should have at least two design options that feature a year round design.”

Those options could be as simple as a shed-style roof to cover the pool and keep it safe from the winter elements. Then the two year-round options, a possible glass-walled structure or a structure with retractable garage-style doors.

Branstetter will be hosting a community meeting in conjunction with the Friends of the Wallace City Pool to discuss possible ideas and options.

That meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, in the Eagles Lodge (above the Day Rock) at 6 p.m.