BOISE, Idaho — Boise City Council met Tuesday afternoon to take a step forward to decide the fate of South and Lowell Pools. During a work session, the city council approved funding to move forward with efforts to map out future plans for the pools.
The pools closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed after safety issues and "serious deficiencies" were found during ADA and condition assessments.
In order to reopen the two pools, the city would either have to renovate them to get the pools ADA-compliant or rebuild the pools.
The city did a broad analysis of how much that could cost in 2022, and got a wide range of between $2 million and $6 million per pool.
The funding approved Tuesday will give Boise Parks and Recreation the money to conduct a more in-depth analysis of how much it would cost to rebuild or bring the pools up to code.
"Right now, both pools are in need of refurbishment, so plumbing, electrical. Neither pool is up to ADA standards, so all that would have to be rectified," Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said. "So all of that packaged together, what that option looks like from a cost perspective - and then also, the mayor and council have requested if you built a new pool, what does that option look like as well."
Holloway said the cost analysis is the first step in deciding the future of the two pools.
Boise Parks and Rec will bring a design team and consultants on board to figure out more precise costs of rebuilding or refurbishing the pools. The analysis is expected to take about four months to complete. After that, Boise Parks and Recreation will bring those numbers and options to City Council - who will decide the next step.
In community surveys launched in February 2022, the city received 2,167 individual responses on South Pool, and 1,869 individual responses on Lowell Poll before the surveys closed on March 28, 2022. The public was asked to weigh in on potential scenarios for the facilities and provide any comments or stories related to the pools.
The City of Boise on Friday said based on the community's outreach, it is studying ways to bring the pools up to code and to meet accessibility standards. Officials also look to maintain the Art Deco entrances, while painting a new image for the pools on site.
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