Cordova consultant rules out Bidarki site for combined pool and gym

Master plan examines combined Bidarki Recreation Center and pool

A combined pool and gym will not fit at the Bidarki Recreation Center site, Cordova's parks and recreation director told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday. Consultant Fortis has determined the merged facility does fit at the current pool location, she said.

The director said the master plan has been rescoped to cover the two buildings together and is set to be finished in November. Current work is on technical questions, including accessibility. The department asked Fortis to include a walking track above the pool and gym. The track appears in the draft drawings. No construction has been approved, funded or scheduled.

Cost of heating two aging buildings drives consolidation

The cost of operating the two aging buildings is driving the consolidation question. "We're heating them, we're inefficiently heating them," the director said. She said the Bidarki heat cannot be turned off and the building has no showers. The department has given Fortis operating figures so it can estimate what a single facility would cost to run day to day.

A 2023 city assessment of Bidarki estimated full replacement would cost far more than targeted repairs.

The existing pool underscores the maintenance burden. The director said the pool is holding water and sitting at 81 degrees but is not yet sanitized. She said the boiler still cannot run more than two consecutive days without shutting off. She said she had no projected reopening date because it depends on when parts arrive.

Cordova considers grants for potential facility

The director said Cordova was not awarded a federal rural healthcare grant it applied for. She said the city needs to consider what the project looks like in terms of grant funding and which grants could pay for it, and that there would be a lot of discussion about it.

One more community meeting with Fortis is planned before the plan is finalized. A date has not been set.