Unity Square’s Pool Improvement Project
Unity Square’s Pool Improvement
Project To Begin in Late February
A four-step pool facility improvement project at Unity Square in Milbank is set to begin on February 28. “It’s the beginning of a face-lift to our pool facility. We are looking at about a three-week timetable, so we’ll have to close the pool area for about three weeks,” said Jerry Jungers, manager of Unity Square. “We are still an attractive facility with the granite considering we are in our 25th year.”
MC&R Pools from Sioux Falls is contracted for the overall project. They will drain all three pools: the lap pool, wading/kiddy pool and spa. Crews will grind down the concrete base of the pools and smooth it out before installing a layer of plaster on the surface area of the pools.
Swimmer’s lane lines on the bottom of the pool will be replaced with sleek black tiling. The tiling will replace any other black lanes or lines on the surfaces of the pools. The spa area will also be painted with an apoxy paint. Previous surfaces required repainting every five years, but the new tiling and plaster is projected to last 15 years. “It’s being done for longevity,” added Jungers.
There will also be 15 feet of Life flooring installed at the entrance and bottom of the wading/kiddy pool. The remainder of the pool is to be plastered as well. “Life flooring is supposed to be more durable with a non-slip surface. It will cover roughly half of the wading pool floor,” Jungers added. “Those are the main components of the pool and pool plastering project,” Jungers said.
The project will include the installation of an ultraviolet chlorination system to improve both the air and water quality in the facility. “It will lessen our chlorine levels down to where our water will be more pure,” explained Jungers. “It basically eliminates any additional odors and stops chlorimites from escaping the water and damaging the surroundings.”
In the final step the concrete pool deck will be cleaned and refurbished returning the concrete to its original state by removing chlorine residue built up. “This is step one of our overall pool facility upgrades,” said Jungers.
An upgrade of the pool area’s air filtration and venting system to greatly improve the air quality is also being considered. “We do have some estimates, but nothing is planned as of yet,” Jungers added.
Jungers estimates the pool improvement project will cost $150,000. “Unity Square is good for the community, especially when we get assistance with capital improvements,” he added. “It’s the area we seem to struggle the most in. To have that amount of money each year for improvements is great to be proactive rather than reactive.”
–Logan Karels
