dguthrie@thedailycitizen.com

Construction is beginning on the Searcy swim complex, according to city officials.

According to Searcy Parks and Recreation Director Mike Parsons, work on the new poolwill begin today after a meeting was held Thursday to complete the final paperwork.

“[Thursday] was just signing the final paper and getting all the paperwork in order so the contractor can start work,” Parsons said. “It was making sure that everything is up to code and things like that and the mayor had to give his signature. It was mainly just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.”

The Searcy City Council approved a bid from Hydco Inc. of North Little Rock in a special meeting in May for the construction of the pool. The council voted to formally accept the Hydco's low bid of $4,954,000. (Cost and fees push the total projected cost to $5,783,260.56, which is around $600,000 over budget.)

In June, the aldermen voted to approve a short-term financing bid for construction. The council accepted Region Bank’s low rate of 1.88 percent over seven other bids, but doesn’t plan to take out a loan for funding to complete the pool until it becomes necessary, according to Searcy Mayor David Morris.

“We’re going to use our own money as long as we can,” Morris said at that time. “But we’ve got to keep up and make sure we have enough cash on hand to fund everything else we’ve got going.”

The funding for the pool and other projects comes from the eight-year, 1 percent sales tax passed in 2014, but the pool is “one-tenth of the total of the eight-year plan. It’s a big item,” Morris said.

“I am extremely excited that the construction of the new indoor swimming pool facility for the the city of Searcy has begun,” Searcy Mayor David Morris said. “This is one of the projects our community made possible by the passage of the eight-year plan for various improvements to our city that was approved by an overwhelming majority of our citizens in 2014.

"We have been without even an outdoor pool for such a long time that the reality of the construction of such a fine, multiuse indoor facility is very exciting for the city of Searcy.

The swimming complex is expected to include a 75-by-60-foot heated indoor swimming pool with stairs and a handicap lift, a 60-by-30 indoor therapy pool with a handicap ramp and spa jets, a zero-entry outdoor pool and party areas.

Drawings of the complex were presented to the City Council in February by design firm ETC Engineering Inc. of Little Rock before the council requested that lockers also be included in the final design.

Perry Carr and Jerry Avery of ETC Engineering pointed out some of the major features at that meeting.

“The pool building has an all-glass vestibule entryway,” Avery said. “The southwest elevation [rear view] is all glass with a 6-foot overhang and a 6-foot walkway along the back with the door that opens from the natatorium onto the concrete patio in the back. We have sliding glass doors in the middle of each of those bays that is a 6-foot sliding glass door that opens from the center out.”

According to Avery, there is a 42-square foot opening in each bay (6 feet wide and 7 feet long).

“The reason for that is to pull in fresh air from the outside,” Avery said. “When the weather is nice, we can turn the HVAC system off. We will have fans that are up high and we can pull in fresh air from the outside and exhaust that and hopefully keep the energy costs down.”

Concerns raised at previous meetings by residents about the lack of a swim area for small children and inadequate areas for birthday parties also were addressed in the approved designs.

“As you can see coming off the side of the building,” Carr said, “We have what we call a zero-depth entry pool with jets as you enter. There are seating areas along the sides and party facilities for children and kids to enjoy.”

Carr also said the play features on the plan include mushrooms, water cannons and in-water play structure.

Avery presented the floor plan for the indoor pool enclosure.

“In the center, you have the entryway and on either side of that you have the space for the folding bleachers,” Avery said. “I assume that those spaces when the bleachers are folded in can also serve as additional party rooms. That was the original thinking. On either side of that, you have the spaces that are dedicated to party rooms.”

The party areas are open spaces. In the event more space is needed during swim tournaments for spectators, extra seating can be put into those spaces.

The bathrooms and shower spaces will be located on the side of the building near the therapy pool.

“The number of bathrooms and showers is dictated by code,” Avery said. “You are required by code to have 10 water closets in the women’s restroom, and that’s what we have. There are three water closets and three urinals in the men’s. There are actually five [total required] and we have one extra."

Also located on that side of the building will be the offices, a concession stand and the lifeguard and training area, which is directly north of the restrooms divided by a vestibule that goes outside. The vestibule will allow anyone who is outside to come in and use the restroom facilities.

The pool equipment room and storage facilities will be located on the opposite end of the building.

"We are excited," Parsons said. "It’s been a long road and we are glad to see that it’s here."

A groundbreaking ceremony for the pool will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 2 at the pool construction site of of Higginson Street near the softball fields. The public is invited to attend.