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SportsCom pool to open Thursday


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SportsCom pool to open Thursday | City, SportsCom
Update: Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department will be opening the new Water Park at SportsCom on Thursday.

The water park opening will start with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.

The pool will be then be open for swimming at 10:15 a.m. immediately following the ceremony.

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Murfreesboro's SportsCom outdoor pool may be a week away from reopening to the public after months of renovations.

Murfreesboro City Council got the news at Thursday night's meeting.

Parks and Recreation Director Lanny Goodwin explained a needed change order to costs associated with the massive renovation. His request added an additional $40,417 to costs and close to $10,000 for required testing.

"We want to be fair to the city and the contractor," Goodwin told the council. "There's a lot of material that moved back and forth as far as approval process."

Councilmen Shane McFarland and Toby Gilley both focused on measures in place to recoup some or all of the costs requested in the change order due to construction overages. Goodwin assured the council will bill $2,000 a day for overages.

"I want to be clear that if they are over 30 days, then they'd be prepared to write the city a check for $60,000," Gilley said before voting for the change order.

Bids for the renovation project were received by the city in January. The pools were originally built in 1987 and were scheduled to reopen Memorial Day of this year. Overages were blamed on unexpected soil and gutter conditions as well as a delay in construction materials.

The total cost of the project is $3.6 million.

Goodwin told members of the council if the pool passes inspection Monday SportCom will work to open the pool the following Monday.

Renovations include an extensive shallow splash area for younger children, water slides, a rock-climbing wall, and space for basketball and volleyball.

Vice Mayor Chris Bratcher noted the anticipation he senses from people in the community about the renovations.

"From the road, it looks impressive," Bratcher said. "There's a lot of excitement going on."

Councilwoman Madelyn Scales Harris asked whether the city has made this accessible to lower income families.

"We do have a financial assistance policy tied to the free lunch program," Goodwin said. "In our 2009 report, if you equate the passes to dollars it came to over $307,000 in assistance."

Low income families whose children qualify for free lunch programs in public schools can fill out an application and receive free access to SportsCom pools. Day passes are $2 for children and $3 for adults with other pass options also available.

Councilman Ron Washington raised concerns that the city needs to help bring two parts of the city together more. Goodwin pointed out that the city's "Rover" bus service can and does help make that happen.

The council voted to approve the change order.
 
 
 
Tagged under  City, SportsCom


Member Opinions:
By: Macgyver on 6/26/10
"The total cost of the project is $3.6 million" Be sure and tell those families affected by the layoffs why we are learning to do without.

By: Whistleblower on 6/27/10
"Councilwoman Madelyn Scales Harris asked whether the city has made this accessible to lower income families."
"Councilman Ron Washington raised concerns that the city needs to help bring two parts of the city together more."
Translation= The new facility needs to be free to be overrun by unsupervised, hands out for more free stuff, ill behaved kids like Patterson Park. Any time a family goes to Patterson, you will be amazed at how many children run thru without paying, an without any supervison, totally out of control of the staff.

By: RonB on 6/27/10
Whistleblower, you are 110% correct! A trip to Patterson is like going to a third world country.

By: HuskyLover on 6/28/10
The 2 previous posters are dead right about Patterson Park. I haven't been there in ages and we no longer attend private birthday parties that are held there, either. It's gross and life is too short to waste time worrying about someone else's unsupervised kid.

By: Farmall on 6/28/10
Want to see a nice water park, well run and decently priced, Manchester. From where I live not that much further.

By: Murfree on 6/28/10
Since we're in the Water Park business, how soon til we're in the Oil Change or Pizza Delivery business?

By: drnitemare on 6/30/10
Yuppers. The complex I live in has not opened the pool in 2 years now because of new regulations on a water drain. People come here and take advantage of the cheap rent then quit paying and leave or are evicted leaving the maintenence man and me to clean up after them. The landlord cannot pay to repair the pool so he gives vouchers to the public pools. I have heard some horror stories from some that have went to Patterson Park then the next door neighbor goes there most every weekend.

By: bbb123 on 6/30/10
If the pool has a maximum and the prediction that it will fill to capacity causing a wait is actually true, then there should be a limit to the # of free admissions per day. Afterall the pool has to start to produce revenue to pay for itself or the admissions fee will need to be raised.

By: justdance on 6/30/10
Well thanks a lot to all of you posters above...somehow you have managed to turn something that should be fun and exciting and something most of Murfreesboro was looking forward to into something negative and depressing. Good Lord...get a grip!

And along with that, haven't been to Patterson for a while, but IF what you all say is true, Patterson needs to get a grip as well. Who's running things over there anyway?

By: Newport1 on 6/30/10
Justdance, Who's running things at Patterson Park? The kids whose parents drop them off there for daycare all day, that's who. I went for the first time last Thursday and we lasted twenty minutes. I can't wait for Sports Com!!!!


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