KENT, Conn.—The Parks and Recreation Commission has advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the restoration of the Emery Park swimming pond.
Parks and Rec Director Matt Busse posted the document on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with proposals to be submitted by Monday, Dec. 1, and action by the commission on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
After years of work, the Emery Park Subcommittee hammered out the scope of work it wants to accomplish in 2026 on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and hopes to open the swimming area on Wednesday, July 1.
The pond has been closed for the past six years and whether to restore it or create a swimming area elsewhere has been the subject of prolonged discussion.
The subcommittee conferred with contractors over the past year and earlier received an estimate of $1,734,517 from Candide, a pool contractor from Norwalk.
In October, the subcommittee heard a presentation by Chris Elkow, senior designer for Kent Greenhouse, who laid out a series of options for the restoration of the pond that ranged in price from $561,000 to $1,034,000.
The subcommittee invited Elkow to return on Nov. 5 with a streamlined proposal closer to the $500,000 to $600,000 that the commission expects to have for the work. Last week Elkow presented a plan that, if implemented, would cost $546,000, with some items that could be “value-engineered out” if necessary.
Busse said that the Recreation Commission has $500,000 in hand through taxpayer and ARPA money and the subcommittee has recommended that $100,000 listed in the capital plan for upgrades to the Emery Park playground be made available for the pool. Moving the playground’s allocation to the swimming pool account would require approval from the Kent selectmen, board of finance and the townspeople.
The playground funding would then be replaced in 2031 and $80,000 would be added to upgrade the patio in that same year. It was noted that the $100,000 in ARPA funds that is already available for the swimming pool project must be used by December 2026 or will be returned to the federal government.
Initially the ARPA funding was assigned for Emery Park improvements but was transferred to fund a splash pad at Kent Common, the town’s other park, by Busse’s predecessor. When Busse put the focus on the Emery Park pool as providing more flexibility for aquatic sports in the town, the ARPA money was again reassigned to the park.
In its last meeting before forwarding its recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Commission, the subcommittee engaged in one final analysis of what is possible with the money it feels it has available. Currently the pool is not safe for use, with its concrete sides falling in and a beach that needs to be dug out and replaced. The decking is uneven and deteriorated and a new shell is needed.
Under Elkow’s proposal, the sides would be stabilized and made flush with the deck. A Gunnite shell would be poured and the deck would remain concrete but would be upgraded. Boulders would be installed along the edge of the natural pond.
Elkow suggested that an aerator be installed in the floor of the pool to help keep the water clear and members debated whether to employ the never-used portable aerator purchased before the pool was closed in 2019, to prepare the floor of the pool for later installation of a permanent aerator, or to embrace the expense in the first-round of upgrades.
Also discussed was the desirability of having a slide for the deeper end of the pool. Member Melissa Cherniske remarked on the exuberance the older children displayed when the previous slide was put into use and advocated for providing a new one. Others suggested that preparations be made during construction of the deck to anchor a slide that would installed later.
Busse told the subcommittee that there are new state regulations regarding the number of lifeguards needed when a slide is in use and that this would necessarily increase the budget for the pool’s operation. Towns have found it difficult to find lifeguards in recent years, which could cause scheduling difficulties and Busse said he would also look into whether a slide would increase the town’s liability insurance.
Discussion moved to what kind of fence should surround the pool area, chain link or a split rail backed by wire mesh. Opinion was split on the visual impact of the choices, with some members feeling that the split rail fence would have a nice rural appearance, while member Keith Johnson expressed a liking for a black-coated chain link fence.
The feeder pond, estimated to cost $175,000, would not be dredged in the first phase of the project, although Johnson expressed a preference for doing the job in the first phase so the work would not disrupt the pool in the future.
The subcommittee moved to send a broadly worded recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Commission “to formalize and approve a bid for the Emery Park Swimming Area Project based on the scope [of subcommittee discussions held Oct. 15 and Nov. 5]”
Parks and Recreation members approved the recommendation without dissent.
