$5.5M budgeted for renovations

By Alyssa Schnugg
Senior reporter

Summer days filled with fun in the sun and keeping cool in the pool may still be a few months away; however, city officials are moving forward with getting a fresh, new pool ready for Oxford.

The Oxford Board of Aldermen met Monday at a work session to review the schematic design to renovate the Oxford swimming pool and review the architect’s estimates.

For the past several months, city staff and OPC have been working with McCarty Architects to determine a “wish list” of amenities to include in the swimming pool project.

During a special meeting of the Oxford Board of Aldermen Tuesday, Mark Levy, director of special projects, presented the schematic design estimate to the board to receive direction to pass along to the architects on what program elements and amenities to include in the project to meet the $5.5 million budget.

The board decided to move forward to the next design phase with a new slide instead of a splash pad and to reduce the proposed building from 4,409 square feet to 2,000 square feet.

The 10,700-square-foot pool will be rebuilt within the current walls of the existing pool, which will cost about $1.7 million.

The schematic design included expanding and overlaying the Stone Center parking lot and improving the crosswalk, which will stay in the project as an alternate.

Shade structures were not included in the schematic design estimate; however, the board said shade structures were “non-negotiable” and they should be included in the project.

Levy said he hopes to have the project out for bid in May, with construction starting early this summer. Construction will take about 11 months. The city pool will be closed this summer and will reopen in the summer of 2025.