NB Municipal Pool, June 10

Report to the North Bend City Council from City Administrator David Milliron, June 8. The City of North Bend was awarded a $187,000 Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) 2021 K-12 Summer Learning grant to support the local response to the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will pay 100% of the startup and operational costs of the municipal pool for July, August, and September. The grant is part of a substantial investment by the State of Oregon to address learning inequities and help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Oregon children and families. The city will be posting schedules during the last week of June to our city website and Facebook pages, if not sooner. The North Bend Municipal Pool will be operated at no charge in July, August, and September, and in accordance with all current restrictions associated to the pandemic. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and staffing concerns, no decisions have been made on any private bookings such as birthday parties. With the voter-approved Ballot Measure 6-191, the North Bend Municipal Pool will be funded through a five-year local option levy covering Operations & Maintenance, but not capital needs. The pool is now a stand-alone fund for accountability purposes as all tax money received is restricted and can only be used for operating and maintaining the pool. Those funds are expected to start coming into the City in November when property taxes are due. The pool will be taken offline in October, November, and December to perform critical infrastructure upgrades and maintenance. Staff is applying for grants to help offset the expense for the top three pool capital projects: a 35-year-old boiler system, the pool’s original filtration system, and inefficient and outdated pump systems. The pool also needs a new air handling system, instant hot water for showers, and various code compliance upgrades. The estimated cost of all these improvements is approximately $565,000, including contingency. Once the capital projects are completed, the City expects to have a grand re-opening of the facility in January 2022 before launching a capital campaign to keep the pool open for the next 50 years. Please Like & Follow Us on Facebook @northbendpool to get the latest North Bend Municipal Pool news and renovation updates. You can also email us at pool@northbendcity.org.