Town of Eagle Seeking Proposals for Eagle Pool Replacement Project Owner’s Rep
JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM TOWN OF EAGLE AND MOUNTAIN RECREATION
The Town of Eagle alongside Mountain Recreation has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an owner’s representative to assist with the Eagle Pool Replacement Project. The RFQ can be found HERE, and submissions are due by Friday, June 16 at 12pm.
Once the owner’s rep is selected, their first priority will be to assist the Town and Mountain Rec in forming a project team, by helping to select a contractor and design firm – and act as the liaison between all parties. The project team will work to finalize the design of the pool while simultaneously completing a construction bid, to expedite the process.
The Town and Mountain Rec aim to begin demolition this summer and finalize the design and construction documents. Construction is anticipated to start in the spring of 2024, and the goal is to reopen for the 2025 season. This schedule is subject to change based on the construction and design consultants.
To see a simplified timeline of what the Town and Mountain Rec have done since the pool was officially closed for the 2022 season, and see what’s ahead, click below:
After the most recent joint release on May 17, the community raised some questions that the Town and Mountain Rec would like to address.
- Why is it $13M?!
You are right, the sticker shock is real. Unfortunately, the cost of construction in the Eagle River Valley has drastically outpaced inflation. We believe the price, which was determined by the design consultants, is accurate – and we plan to utilize common project strategies to reduce costs and speed up the delivery timeline, such as securing a guaranteed project price and using on-the-spot value engineering and material sourcing.
- Who owns the pool and how do Mountain Rec and Town of Eagle work together?
The Town of Eagle and Mountain Rec own equal shares of the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink. The duo partnered to build the facility in 2003 and have since managed operations as laid out in their intergovernmental agreement (IGA) governing the relationship. Mountain Rec operates the facility and is responsible for the annual operating deficit. As the facility’s construction, ownership, and operation are governed by the IGA, the lead representatives are jointly the Town Council and Mountain Rec Board. A joint staff team was formed to manage the forensic study and consultant review of the condition of the pool, and now its future reconstruction. That staff team has been reporting to the joint boards throughout.
- Will the community be able to provide feedback on the design of the pool?
YES! Once the initial design and cost estimates have been completed, the community will be asked to provide feedback. Keep an eye out in the fall for community engagement opportunities and schedules.
- Why can’t we open the current pool while we work on a replacement?
We would love for this to be an option! Unfortunately, it is not safe nor is it fiscally responsible. Currently the water levels are not even throughout the pool due to leaks, and do not allow for safe filtration to meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Given the significant leaks that compromise the pool’s filtration, it would require a significant amount of money and time to be operational.
- Why wasn’t the pool properly maintained?
The Town and Mountain Rec staff have done everything in their power to maintain the pool over its twenty-year lifespan – including receiving support from various third-party professional pool agencies. Our mountain environment and soil have made it very difficult to maintain a pool for more than twenty years. The first pool in Eagle was built around 1980 and it required a full replacement in 2003, which is when the current pool was constructed. The Eagle Pool has encountered a series of issues over its twenty-year lifetime, many related to poor subsurface soils. The southwest corner of the lap pool dropped enough in 2014 to require repair in the off-season. Leaking underground mechanical system pipes were repaired in 2017 after a mid-season closure. While the pool was safely opened for the season in 2021, Mountain Rec and Town staff could not have forecasted that the subsurface would move as much as it did the following winter, which lead to the pool’s closure. Throughout the pool’s lifespan the Town and Mountain Rec have funded repairs, through annual contributions to a shared capital fund. In 2018, given the ongoing challenges maintaining the pool and anticipating the situation that exists today, both increased their annual allocation from $25,000 to $50,000 each. When the fund was established twenty years ago, it was not designed to fund a full replacement of the pool, however.
- Why are there plans to work on/expand the locker rooms and restrooms?
Put simply, we need to expand the locker rooms and restrooms in order to keep up with the community’s year-round use of the facility – now and in the future. Currently, we do not have enough locker room space to accommodate our changing hockey community, and the restrooms will need to be updated to meet new building code requirements and expanded bather load estimates.
- Why haven’t we been getting regular updates?
Mountain Rec and Town of Eagle have put out six releases (including this one) since May 2022. Below are the links to each release which has answers to many of the questions addressed in this release.
- May 30, 2022 – Eagle Pool Opening Day Postponed, Mountain Recreation Performing Leak Evaluation & Repairs – Mountain Recreation
- June 13, 2022 – Eagle Pool Closed for 2022, Gypsum Creek Pool to Open – Mountain Recreation
- June 15, 2022 – Clearing the Air, Let’s talk about Pools at Mountain Recreation – Mountain Recreation
- October 3, 2023 – Bartnik: After a Thorough Look, Eagle Pool Likely to Remain Closed Next Summer – Mountain Recreation
- May 17, 2023 – Mountain Rec & Town of Eagle to Fully Replace the Eagle Pool – Mountain Recreation