CITY OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
Michael V. O'Brien City Manager
cm2008jun16142235
Attachment for Item # 9.15A

July 8, 2008
TO THE WORCESTER CITY COUNCIL COUNCILORS:
The attached communication relative to the City's public pools, beaches, and spray facilities as received from Robert L. Moylan, Jr., Commissioner of the Department of Public Works and Parks, is forwarded for the information of your Honorable Body.

Please be advised that our City pools, beaches, and spray facility opened to the public on Tuesday, July 1st. These facilities will be open daily from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m.
In April of 2007, my Administration brought forth a comprehensive report on the existing conditions of the City's nine aging pools and bathhouses, annual operating costs, and a series of recommendations to continue to provide this community with safe, usable, and enjoyable pools, beaches, and spray facilities throughout the summer months. The report and the recommendation were submitted to provide a framework for an informed community discussion. Subsequently, the Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee convened a public meeting and a public day-trip to other municipalities for continued discussion on how we as a community can and will continue to provide basic recreational amenities, as well as aquatic recreation, to meet the needs of our growing and diverse population.

After consulting with parks advocates, community groups, consultants, Commissioner Moylan and Assistant Commissioner Robert Antonelli, I respectfully submit the attached report as a starting point for public dialogue and identification of a long-term plan to reinvest in our public pools, beaches, and spray facilities. This report outlines information regarding the condition of pools (e.g., safety, functionality, aesthetics), necessary repairs, resident usage, as well as proximity to City-owned beaches and other public aquatic facilities, and balances the variables of fiscal realities, community expectations, timeliness, and accessibility.

As detailed in my FY 2009 Capital Improvement Plan, I have committed to reinvesting approximately $2M per year to the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Division from our total $17M capital borrowing cap for the next five years exclusively for the improvements to our City pools, beaches, spray facilities and parks.

The attached five-year plan identifies a long-term solution beginning in FY09 and beyond and proposes the rehabilitation and renovation of five City pools. The Commissioner has proposed the renovation of pools at Beaver Brook Park, East Park, Greenwood Street Park, Kendrick Field, and South Worcester Park based on pool usage, the condition of pools and bathhouses, and location. Three remaining pools -Crompton Park, Holmes Field, and Tacoma Street - would be replaced with spray parks with an initial upfront investment of approximately $2.1 million and annual operating cost of $15,000 versus the $135,000 that it currently takes to operate and maintain three City pools today. Two additional spray parks would be constructed at locations to be determined. This plan would result in a total of fourteen public pools, beaches and spray facilities Citywide.

Simultaneously, my Administration will continue to embark on a number of private/public partnerships to expand the comprehensive aquatics facilities available to the City's residents. Successful examples include programs such as Shore Park, in which the YMCA and the Bancroft School assist to maintain and provide beach and park programming to residents, or partnerships with facilities that offers pools and programming, such as the Boys & Girls Club, Jewish Community Center, or colleges/universities. The City's four beaches will remain open (along with planned bathhouse improvements) as well as the State's pools at Vernon Hill and Bennett Field.

Collectively, we recognize how critical our public pools, beaches, and spray facilities are to our community and our citizens. Collectively, we all bear the responsibility for the poor condition they are now in for our community sets priorities and it is a reality that there were other priorities than pools and beaches for over 30 years. It is due to the recurring fact that there are limited fiscal year dollars and many critical priorities.

The push to rebuild/ reinvest in these facilities now must be with a long view - that they are indeed priorities; that we intend to build once, build right and care for these assets over time; and that we reinvest only in what we can maintain and operate properly within our projected means over time. This recommendation is in step with the overall tone this City Council has set for all we do and it establishes a commitment to this City Council, the community, the taxpayer and our citizens that we can keep. This is respectfully presented as a starting point of the community's discussion. I respectfully recommend that this proposal be forwarded to the City Council's Standing Committee on Youth, Parks and Recreation for further deliberation, consideration and review, as well as to seek additional community input.
Respectfully submitted,

Michael V. O'Brien
City Manager

CITY OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
Department of Public Works and Parks

To: Michael V. O'Brien, City Manager
From: Robert L. Moylan Jr., P.E., Commissioner of Public Works and Parks
Date: July 1,2008
Re: Aquatics Master Plan Report

At their meeting on October 29, 2007, the Youth Parks and Recreation Committee met to discuss the issue of the deteriorated condition of all nine of the city's pools as described in a report I submitted through you dated April 18, 2007. That report was based on an aquatic consultant's professional opinion of the condition of each pool and the cost to rehabilitate the pools. The discussion at that meeting also delved into the public and private aquatic resources that currently exist in the city as well as the need for aquatic training and recreation over and above what is being provided by the city.

The Committee heard testimony from the Department of Public Works & Parks concerning the very poor condition of the pools in the city and the urgent need to devise a plan that would address the need for aquatic opportunities in the city. The plan, of course, would need to be balanced against the city's ability to properly fund the proposed changes and yet meet other capital needs of the Parks Division. The public offered comments about the importance of the pools and aquatic recreation. Many suggested the plan that should be followed is the full rehabilitation of all nine pools.

In order to bring the debate into more practical terms, I stated that if every penny of DPW&Ps anticipated capital budget were to be allocated to the rehabilitation of pools over the next 5 years, the city would have addressed 6 (or possibly 7) of the 9 pools with no funds provided for other Parks and Recreation programs! Understanding the scope of the problem and the limitations of funding, the Committee asked for a proposal from the Administration on how to best address this very real and important issue given the significant cost to rehabilitate the city's pools, the high annual cost to maintain the pools, the lack of aquatic opportunities to teach Worcester youth how to swim, and the severe constraints on the Parks Division budget to address this matter and yet meet other needs and expectations of this community over the next 5 to 10 years. In response to their request, I offered to provide a plan that the Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee could use to engender further input on how to best solve this vexing problem. The plan should not to be considered a recommendation but rather a "frame" on which to build. It is a plan that balances the variables of fiscal reality, community expectations, timeliness and political and geographic fairness. Before launching into the proposal, a brief review of some of the salient pieces of information is needed.

BACKGROUND
The City of Worcester currently owns nine (9) swimming pool facilities built between 1968 and 1973. Each is either a 75' L-shaped or 75' square pool with a 20' x 21' wading pool and bathhouse. All 9 pools vary in depth from 2 1/4' at the shallow end to 3 1/2' at the deep end. The city's consultants who inspected each pool in 2004 stated in their report that the pools "were in extraordinarily poor condition" due to aging, vandalism and lack of timely capital upgrades. In fact, the Holmes Field pool was closed last summer due to a structural failure of the deck surrounding the pool. Additionally the current configuration of these pools limits their use and enjoyment. The pools are at the following locations:

1. Beaver Brook 9 Mann St
2. Crompton Park 40 Canton St
3. East Park 200 Shrewsbury St
4. Greenwood Park 20 Forsberg St
5. Holmes Field 221 Plantation St
6. Kendrick Field 7 Brooks St
7. South Worcester 53 Camp St
8. Tacoma Pool 485 Tacoma St
9. University Park 955 Main St

On average, each pool has an annual operational cost of $40,000 to $45,000. This expense has been validated and includes personnel to staff the pools and expenditures for chemicals, electricity and minor repairs. The cost to replace or fully rehabilitate the 9 pools is also significant. In 2005, the consultant estimated the cost to replace all 9 pools at roughly $7.5 million. Based on our research we believe that a more current estimate is about $1.5 million each or $13.5 million for the current inventory of 9 pools. Also discussed in the consultants report was the growing popularity of spray parks as an alternative and/or adjunct to pools. We estimate the cost of a spray park to be $500,000 each.

Keeping these costs in mind, the very essence of the problem can simply be stated this way. What do we do with our 9 city pools that are all in "extraordinary poor condition" given the public's expectations to provide aquatic recreational opportunities at safe and inviting sites and the their simultaneous expectation to provide other park system improvements without exceeding the city's anticipated commitment of $2 million per year in capital funds?

PROPOSAL
I offer for consideration the notion of 5 state-of-the-art pools and 5 state-of-the-art spray parks. This plan provides a pool and a spray park in each of the 5 political districts of the city. Using the cost estimates quoted above, the present value of such a proposal is $10,000,000.I recognize that this combination of pools and spray parks will be unacceptable to some initially but I believe further understanding of the problem including budgetary impacts on other Park's programs will show this to be a very reasonable option and a challenging goal. To achieve the goal of a spray park and pool in each political district, the following is suggested:

The pools that DPW&P would rehabilitate and recommend remain open are as follows:

1. Beaver Brook District 5
2. East Park District 2
3. Greenwood St District 3
4. Kendrick Field District 1
5. So. Worcester District 4

This list is only important from the standpoint that it establishes one pool in each political district.
Spray Parks would replace pools at the following locations:

1. Crompton Park District 4
2. Holmes Field District 2
3. Tacoma St District 1

To achieve political balance, the pool at University Park would be permanently closed and spray parks would be constructed at the following locations:

4. TBD District 3
5. TBD District 5

We also need to address the implementation schedule of the plan as well as other funding sources including state grants, private subsidies or partnerships with local private organizations. We need to understand how the financial impact of new pools and spray parks affects other Parks Division needs as well as the needs of other city departments and the overall borrowing abilities of the city. Lastly, we need to know the funding level the Parks Division can count on annually for its capital budget as it moves forward with this and other plans. I will attempt to address these issues below.

• SCHEDULE AND EFFECT OF FUNDING LIMITATIONS AND 5 YEAR BUDGET PLAN

You have agreed to allocate $2 million per year from the $17 million borrowing cap to the Parks Division for the next 5 years. This is an extraordinary increase in capital funding from previous years and it is recognized as an exceptional commitment to the Parks Division as a whole. We also understand the city's attempt to address the deteriorated condition of the aquatic facilities while still recognizing the needs of other Park's projects. Our capital budget attempts to provide balance to all Parks needs over the next 5 years and also recognizes the focus the community has on aquatics. Accordingly, I offer the following as the Parks Division planned 5 year capital budget.

PARKS AND RECREATION CAPITAL BUDGET Fiscal Years 2009-2013
Fiscal Year Project Value $ from City District
2009 Rockwood Park Phase 2 Improvements $500,000 $500,000 5
2009 Elm Park Bridge Repair $100,000 $100,000 4
2009 Indian Hill - Urban Self Help (USH) Grant $750,000 $250,000 1
2009 4 Spray Parks (Tacoma, Holmes, Crompton, D3 - TBD) w/USH Grant $2,100,000 $1,600,000 1,2,3,4
2009 Totals $3,450,000 $2,450,000

2010 Kendrick Field - electrical upgrade & lights $550,000 $550,000 1
2010 Oakland Heights - complete project $250,000 $250,000 3
2010 East Park - USH Grant $750,000 $250,000 2
2010 Knights of Columbus $350,000 $350,000 5
2010 Vernon Hill Baseball $500,000 $500,000 3
2010 Coes Pond Bathhouse $50,000 $50,000 5
2010 Shore Park Bathhouse $50,000 $50,000 1
2010 Totals $2,500,000 $2,000,000

2011 Institute Park-USH Grant $750,000 $250,000 2
2011 So. Worcester Pool Rehab USH $1,500,000 $1,000,000 4
2011 Farber Field $250,000 $250,000 5
2011 Tivnan Park $500,000 $500,000 3
2011 Indian Lake Bathhouse $50,000 $50,000 1
2011 Totals $3,050,000 $2,050,000

2012 Crompton Park - USH Grant $750,000 $250,000 4
2012 GBV Lights $250,000 $250,000 1
2012 Tacoma St Handball Court $250,000 $250,000 1
2012 Logan Field Upgrades $350,000 $350,000 5
2012 Lake Park Playground $200,000 $200,000 3
2012 Green Hill Fence and Lights $150,000 $150,000 2
2012 Shore Park & Morgan Park $200,000 $200,000 1
2012 Greenwood Master Plan $50,000 $50,000 3
2012 Rockwood Field Driveway $300,000 $300,000 5
2012 Totals $2,500,000 $2,000,000

2013 Coes Knife w/USH Grant $750,000 $250,000 5
2013 Pool Rehab - East Park $1,500,000 $1,500,000 2
2013 Elm Park & Newton Hill $250,000 $250,000 4,5
2013 Totals $2,500,000 $2,000,000

5 Year Total $14,000,000 $10,500,000

Note: this plan gets us 4 new Spray Parks in 2009 and provides 2 pool rehabilitations in a 5 year period. Remaining work: 1 Spray Park in D5 and 3 more pool rehabs for a value of $5,000,000. Also, over the next 5 years city is projected to spend $10,500,000 on Parks with about half of money ($5.25M) going to aquatics
This spending plan shows the projects that get done over the next 5 years in the Parks Division. Namely, 4 spray parks will be installed and 2 pools rehabilitated while at the same time addressing other Parks needs. Moreover, during the next 5 years, the city will appropriate $10,500,000 with $5,250,000 of that amount dedicated to aquatics. The $10,500,000 city contribution will hopefully leverage an additional $3,500,000 in state grants during that time. This is a very aggressive finance plan.

Spray Parks would be installed as follows:
Tacoma 2009
Holmes 2009
Crompton 2009
D3 2009
D5 TBD

Pools to be rehabilitated over next 5 years are as follows:

So. Worcester 2010
East Park 2013
Kendrick TBD
Beaver Brook TBD
Greenwood TBD

• INSTALL 4 SPRAY PARKS IN FISCAL 2009
Given the dire condition of the city's pools relative to both functionality and safety, immediate steps need to be taken to provide safe and attractive aquatic opportunities. We propose that 4 spray parks be installed in the fall of 2008 (FY 2009) immediately following the closure of the pools for the season. The spray parks will be operational for the following season so there will be no break in aquatic recreational opportunities from one year to the next. Joining the Holmes Field pool that was closed due to structural failure, we propose that the Tacoma, University and Crompton pools be closed after the 2008 summer season. The de-activation of one pool saves the city about $40,000 in ordinary maintenance costs so the deactivation of 4 pools saves the city a net of $120,000 in Operation and Maintenance (OM) costs (there are continued costs necessary for each site even though the pool is closed). The reallocation of this $120,000 as debt service will allow the city to borrow $1.6M to design and build 3 of the 4 new spray parks that would be open to the public in 2009. The 4th spray park would be financed through an Urban Self Help (USH) Grant and available for the summer of 2009.

• DEVELOP OTHER PARTNERSHIPS TO PROVIDE A FULL RANGE OF AQUATIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY

There are a number of other public and private aquatic resources in the city that need to be considered as we develop a full aquatic program. Use of these facilities through partnerships offers a very desirable complement to the pools, spray parks and beaches already provided by the city. These other aquatic resources are listed below:
Indoor Pools

1. Clark University
2. Assumption College
3. Holy Cross College
4. WPI
5. Worcester Academy
6. YMCA on Main Street
7. YMCA at Greendale
8. YWCA on Franklin Street
9. Boys and Girls Club
10. Worcester JCC

Outdoor Facilities
1. Bennett Field State Pool
2. Shine Pool at Vernon Hill Park
3. Regatta Point on Lake Quinsigamond
4. Lake Park at Lake Quinsigamond

The notion that the city must be the singular provider of aquatic opportunities for the community is no longer tenable or desirable. Competition for funds, timing of needs and outright costs no longer make it practical. The solution needs to be more broadly based and should involve others. However, the development of partnerships or agreements to utilize and avail ourselves of other resources is beyond the purpose and scope of this report.

PREPARATION OF POOLS FOR 2008 SEASON
DPW&P, working with the Department of Public Health, will conduct a pre-season assessment of the 8 pools that remain in service. All necessary repairs will be made to pools and beach bathhouses to ensure that they are safe and clean. Items that typically would be addressed during the pre-season assessment include, re-fastening loose pool handrails and ladders, repairing lights in bathhouses, ensuring the operation of all phones, eliminating trip hazards and installing proper signage. Despite these actions, we remain concerned about the structural condition of the pools. These pools are all 35 to 40 years old and each loses significant amounts of water each day. This loss of water may be creating structural vulnerabilities by undermining deck slabs or pool walls. Holmes Field pool is structurally compromised and required must be taken out of service. The same plight could affect any of the other remaining pools.
This year, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was approved. This federal law will require that entrapment-proof covers be installed on all public pools by December 2008. It requires that public pools with a single main drain install a system designed to prevent suction entrapment. City pools affected by this law include: Beaver, Greenwood, South Worcester and Tacoma. The cost to retrofit these pools is now being tabulated.

DESCRIPTION OF NEW POOLS AND SPRAY PARKS
Below is a description of the replacement pools and spray parks proposed.

New Pools
The fastest growing segment of aquatic facilities is the leisure pool. The 0 to 4 foot depth pool provides adults and children hours of aquatic interaction, entertainment, relaxation and fun. With an opportunity for many different sizes and designs, the leisure pool is a desirable attraction for all ages and skill levels. A leisure pool with a Zero-depth entry (shown below) simulates an ocean beach as the pool bottom slopes gradually toward the deeper water. Instead of having to jump or climb into the pool, patrons simply walk in as they would at a beach. Lounging in the zero-beach is a way to enjoy the sun and water while watching younger members of the family.This type of entry allows the disabled to easily enter the water as well. These beach entry pools provide a shallow splash and play area for children or a cool retreat for sunbathers of all ages.
Many different amenities can be incorporated into the leisure pool for added amusement (see photos below) such as:
• Interactive play features - these come in all sizes and bring recreational value to the pool.
They include things like bridges, tunnels, and water cannons that spray water that
children can control.

• Spray features - these add dimension and create water play experiences within the shallow end of the pool. The spray features can have top slots and shower spouts that launch wide sheets of water cascading down to the waiting children below.

• Floatables - soft foam sculptures in brilliant colors are tethered to the bottom of the pool.
Children can climb up the many different floating themes for physical action, adventure
and relaxation.

• Spray Parks
Spray parks (shown below) are designed to be safe and unique play areas where water is sprayed from structures or ground sprays and then drained away before it can accumulate. Because spray parks operate through the use of computerized control systems, the operating season is extended and the need for lifeguards is eliminated. Unlike a pool, spray parks create an environment that children of all ages and abilities will enter with equal enthusiasm. The play surface is non-slip and has no standing water. The risk is much lower in terms of liability and they don't require the level of chemical treatment of a pool. This form of aquatic environment allows everyone including young children, adults and those with disabilities to play and enjoy. Generally, designs include water activators that are turned on and off by the children as well as timers that turn the water off when there is no activity. Both these features save water and power thereby reducing operating costs. Spray parks offer a host of attributes including lower construction and maintenance costs, greater availability of use by the community since they do not require staffing and they also create a wonderful environment that children of all ages enter with enthusiasm.

CONCLUSION
The Department of Public Works & Parks clearly understands the important role that aquatics plays in the summer recreation habits of our city's youth. It is incumbent on us to provide safe, attractive and inviting opportunities to promote that recreation. The notion, however, that the city needs to be the singular provider of aquatics for our community is no longer practical or desirable. The solution to the aquatics conundrum is to think creatively and develop a new paradigm; one that looks at aquatics in a holistic way and considers all available public and private resources. I believe the approach described above is a creative, reasonable and achievable alternative steeped in pragmatism and fiscal logic.

For those who advocate for the replacement on all 9 pools immediately, I hope this report shows this demand to be wholly unfeasible given the city's fiscal constraints and indisputable needs of the parks systems. As policy makers, our charge is to develop a plan we can implement and to educate and inform the community of its advantages. The DPW&P offers this plan as a stepping stone that encourages community input. Hopefully it is accepted as reasonable, achievable and equitable. While we all know this plan is not the utopian solution to the aquatics challenge in Worcester, it is one that can be implemented quickly with good results.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Moylan Jr., P.E.
Commissioner of Public Works and Parks
[Aquatics Master Plan Report #768]

Attachment	Size
Aquatic Report CLOSE POOLS.pdf	450.26 KB