The earthwork portion of Pierre’s new outdoor pool project is moving forward.
Tonight, the Pierre City Commission awarded low-bidder AGE Corporation of Fort Pierre a $1.526 million contract to excavate about 15,000 yards of existing soil, replace it with suitable fill, and place an additional 20,000 yards of soil to elevate the new pool structure out of the water table.
“This is a critical piece of the site development process,” said John Childs, City Engineer. “We need to have good soils in place to build a stable structure.”
Childs went on to provide perspective on the amount of earthwork happening.
“When the pool is complete, we’ll have a retaining wall that reaches more than 10 feet on the west side of complex. This is a big job!”
Earthwork is expected to begin in August. That will allow soils to settle over the winter months and development of the pool structure to happen in 2022.
The outdoor pool is being built in two phases. The earthwork portion that was awarded tonight, and the pool package that will be put out for bid early next year. The project is expected to be done in 2022 with the new pool opening for the 2023 swimming season.
The facility plan includes a shallow water pool, a multi-purpose pool that can double as a competition pool, a lazy river, as well as a new bathhouse and snack bar. If fully realized, the new pool will also include a shallow-water play structure, a speed slide, a drop slide, a raft slide, a kiddie slide, a zip line and numerous other water features.
For more information about the outdoor pool project, visit pierrepool.com.