LEWISTON — Kennedy Park will get a pared-down pool house, councilors agreed Tuesday.

Councilors approved a plan to build a 902-square-foot building with room for two small changing rooms, some bathrooms and office space for recreation department staff. The building will cost no more than $100,000 to build, according to Phil Nadeau, acting city administrator.

“It’s no Taj Mahal, but it is just adequate for what we need,” Nadeau said.

The park’s old pool house was torn down in 2006, after the previous
council approved a plan for a host of renovations at the park. Those
changes included a splash pad to replace the old wading pool, $267,895
for a new pool house and $250,000 for a master plan.

Councilors voted last April to deauthorize that funding, after work
on the splash pad was finished and the old pool house had been torn
down. It was never replaced, and the city used a temporary trailer and
portable toilets for swimmers last summer and the summer before.

Councilors agreed in May to allocate $200,000 in block grant money toward Kennedy Park over the next year, including the pool house and repairs to the old gazebo.

Councilor Larry Poulin said he objected to spending $100,000 on the pool building, saying he would support spending $80,000.

That’s not enough to do the job, Nadeau said.

“If you can’t do this building for $100,000, then we need to just shut down the pool,” Nadeau said. “I don’t say that to be mean-spirited, but to say you need to either support the pool and the recreation programs we offer or not.”

Poulin and a majority of councilors were convinced and voted to support the new building by a 6-1 vote. Only Councilor Nelson Peters voted against the new pool house.

staylor@sunjournal.com