After advancing a preliminary financial measure at a meeting last month, the Kernersville Board of Aldermen this week unanimously approved the contract method to be used in soliciting design and construction bids for a new public pool.
Based on the recommendations of Town Manager Curtis Swisher and Parks and Recreation Supervisor Ernie Pages, the board authorized a “design-build” method combining both the design and construction of the project into one contract.
Swisher explained that the town plans to seek cost estimates for building the pool, a project budgeted at $10.8 million, at either Etta Lea & Lawrence Pope Memorial Park or Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex.
In response to a question from Alderman John Barrow regarding other contracting methods the city could have considered, Pages briefly explained the differences as well as why he favors the design-build method’s simplicity and the protections it offers the town.
Barrow made a motion to approve the measure, which was seconded by Alderman Bill Apple and supported unanimously by the board. Following the vote, Mayor Dawn Morgan recognized Barrow’s advocacy on behalf of the project.
“Well, John, you’ve been talking about a pool for a while now,” she said. “This is a very, very tangible step toward making that happen. It’s one thing to have it in the budget; it’s another thing to talk about it. But when we’re getting ready to get bids, that’s making it happen. So congratulations. I think that if we can get this funded, built, opened, staffed, and operated, there will be a lot of children who are splashing and having a lot of fun.”
Morgan went on to explain that the final design of the pool will have a “zero entry,” meaning that it “would be appropriate for people of many swimming abilities and many ages and heights.”
Click here for our previous coverage of this project.
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