SAC Pool to undergo $2 million renovation
A $2 million renovation to the Student Activity Center pool might delay the Rose Pool closure past June 30, when it was scheduled to shut down.
“We’re not going to close the Rose Pool until the SAC Pool (renovation is complete),” said Assistant Vice President of University Recreation Stan Shingles. “My initial guess is that I don’t think there is any question it will go into the school year, but it’s all about how we prioritize (construction).”
This will be the largest construction on the SAC Pool since it opened in 1990.
Shingles said planned renovations might not be anything students will immediately notice because it is mainly infrastructure repair. The renovation will include the replacement of tile on the deck of the pool and other mechanical work, like repairs to lighting fixtures.
He said there is not enough information to estimate how long the project will take.
The renovation was approved by Board of Trustees at its Dec. 17 meeting. No funds were allocated for the project because it was placed on the deferred maintenance budget. University reserve funds will be used to pay for the project.
Reserve funds used for deferred maintenance renovations are budget dollars carried over from prior years, said Associate Vice President and Controller of Financial Services and Reporting Mary Hill. Reserves are created when budgeted funds are not used in a given year. If more investment income is received than what is estimated, the excess funds are put in a reserve account.
Once the Rose Pool was scheduled to close on June 30, the SAC Pool renovation became a priority among other facilities management deferred maintenance, Shingles said.
A committee met on Jan. 12 to begin the early stages of construction planning, Shingles said. Pool maintenance workers, a construction management firm hired to oversee repair work, pool operations workers, and the contractor and construction management firm hired to manage repair work served on the committee.
Miller-Davis Company was hired to renovate the SAC pool, the same construction management firm which to completed construction on the new Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.
“(We are) engaging experts, and getting consultant advice on what it is we need to do to manage deferred maintenance,” Shingles said.
A number of issues with both the Rose Pool and SAC Pool were identified during a 2013 Master Plan and Facilities Condition Assessment that was completed on all campus buildings and their systems, said Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Steve Lawrence. An architectural firm was hired to perform a more detailed study of the two pools. From there, a committee comprised of pool workers and people in the community and at CMU who regularly used the pool assessed the use of the pools. The consensus was to close the Rose Pool.
The Student Activity Center and pool are both 25 years old. Construction to the SAC Pool will extend its life by 25 years, Lawrence said.
“We’re looking at the big picture and bringing (the SAC Pool) up to 2016 standard from an infrastructure standpoint,” Shingles said. “The goal now is to get ahead of deferred maintenance and preventative strategies.”
New lockers and flooring in the lower level of the SAC were budgeted for summer before renovations were planned, but will now be installed in conjunction with pool maintenance to cause a minimal amount of impact, Shingles said.
“When we close the Rose Pool, it will be the first time since 1974 we don’t have two pools on campus,” he said.
He said this is the reason it is important the SAC Pool functions well.
Pool maintenance is usually performed during summer break because the pool must be drained and closed down to perform most repair work, Shingles said.
