Bangor to consider pool budget issues

BANGOR – Though this summer’s swim season is months away, the city’s parks and recreation department is working to ensure a smooth move into the city’s soon-to-be-completed pool complex on the city’s west side.

There are, however, some remaining budget issues to wade through, including how to best serve swimmers on Bangor’s east side.

The Beth Pancoe Municipal Aquatic Center in Hayford Park is set to open this summer.

“We’re hoping to open on June 17, but that’s not definite yet,” Parks and Recreation Director Frank Comeau confirmed this week. “It will depend on the contractor and good spring weather.”

According to Comeau, the new facility is about 75 percent complete. If it isn’t finished in time for its projected opening, the city might reopen its existing pool as an interim measure.

Once open, the state-of-the-art 300,000-gallon pool will include a zero entry area with a four-lane swim area, a child’s play area, a double water slide and a handicap-accessible ramp. At 7,000 square feet, it is nearly double the size of the existing pool on Union Street.

The $1,785,000 project is funded largely through a $1.4 million gift from authors Stephen and Tabitha King. The city covered the $385,000 balance.

The complex is located down the hill from the existing pool, just beyond the left-field fence of Mansfield Stadium, which was also funded by a donation from the Kings.

While the existing pool will be removed and replaced with a picnic area once the new pool opens, it’s not yet clear what the future holds for Dakin Pool on the other side of the city.

Despite concerns raised in the community recently, the city has made no decision to close Dakin, though that could occur in the future.

“It’s something we’ll be exploring as part of the budget process,” Comeau said. “Some of the [issues] we’re going to look at are the cost of keeping Dakin open.”

The decision is the City Council’s to make, he said, adding that budget discussions related to the pools and other city programs will begin in about a month. Early indications are this could shape up to be a tight budget year, he said.

Should councilors decide to close Dakin, accommodations will be made to serve families on the city’s east side. A possible short-term solution is to run a shuttle to the new complex. A possible longer-term option might involve acquiring a splash pad that could be installed at Broadway Park.

Splash pads are becoming increasingly popular at parks, municipal pools and shopping malls across the nation. In-ground jets spray water in sheets, buckets or fountains from tubes and nozzles that drain onto a flat concrete surface. Because they operate without standing water, splash pads require no staffing.

Comeau said the cost would be comparable to improving the bathhouse at Dakin.

The bathhouse needs improvement and doesn’t meet handicap-access standards, he said. The work could cost as much as $200,000. He also noted that Dakin Pool is relatively small at about 1,800 square feet and draws a daily average of about 35 swimmers.

In other pool-related business, the city will begin charging swimmers admission fees for the first time this year.

“That’s not unusual,” Comeau said. “In fact, most towns around here, like Brewer, Orono and Old Town, charge. We’ve resisted that for a long time, but we’re under [budget] pressure all the time.”

The tentative fee schedule is $1 for resident youth, $2 for resident adults, $2 for nonresident youth, and $4 for nonresident adults. Season and family passes also will be available.