The heater at the Carroll Aquatic Center is at its current life expectancy, having been installed in 2009 when the center was created. Director of Parks and Recreation, Jack Wardell, says the initial estimates on the cost to replace it were actually much lower than the bids they received, mainly because of when the estimate was factored.
Wardell says that technological improvements are also a big factor in higher pricing, but will result in a longer lifespan for the heater. He says there is a $15,950 shortfall between the bid and estimate. However, they have discussed the option of holding off on replacement of all the lily pads, which would free up some money in their budget, with $20,000 allocated to that project.
Another cost associated with the upkeep at the Aquatic Center involves routine painting that needs to be done in the off season. Again, bids were requested with a pre-bid estimate of $40,000. There was a broad range, from slightly more than $33,700 to nearly $72,000. Wardell says one company, Dreyer Painting from Stockton, Ill., presented two bids, one for an acid wash and one for brush blasting. Both of these were the lowest, so Wardell did some research on the company and found they are frequently used as subcontractors in the region and he received positive feedback on their work. He adds that even though the acid washing was the lowest bid presented, his staff prefers the brush blasting option at $38,735 because it does a better job of removing the existing paint and preparing the surface than the results produced with acid washing. The total of these two expenditures for the Aquatic Center comes to $82,685.
