City takes another look at pool requirements

The City of Buffalo Center is taking a fresh look at whether an expensive pool upgrade is required under federal law.

Community fundraising efforts have been underway since 2015 for the city to upgrade the wading pool at the BC swimming pool to a zero- depth entry pool, which would meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Those efforts, combined with grant money, have brought in about $60,000 for the project, which the city had hoped to complete at a cost of about $70,000.

The city enlisted Pool Tech from Cedar Rapids to draw up plans for the project. Last summer, the company told the city that the upgraded pool would also need to have a curved lip around its rim, in order to meet state code. Jim Kelly from Pool Tech told the city council that due to the way the pool was built, they would not be able to upgrade the existing rim, so they would instead need to demolish and replace the pool at a cost of around $225,000 to $250,000.

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