Unalaska will spend $200,000 deciding what to do about its pool

Unalaska's aquatics center is more than 40 years old, and most of what makes it work is past its expected life. The roof membrane has failed in places. The filtration and chemical treatment systems are obsolete.

The City Council voted last week to pay LCG Lantech $200,000 to study what to do about it. The consultant has to evaluate three options, renovating the building, rebuilding it, or putting it somewhere else, and recommend one. No construction money is attached; this buys an answer, not a pool.

The city had trouble getting there. It first advertised the work in January with proposals due in February, then reissued it with an August deadline. The second round drew seven, and staff interviewed the top two. Asked during bidding what the budget was, the city said it had "elected not to disclose" it, saying only that sufficient funding had been identified. The resolution made the number public. The money was already in this year's parks operating budget.

A draft report is due in March 2027, with a presentation in Unalaska in April.