The Winnebago Community Pool, now 50 years old, is a popular place all summer long for folks of all ages.

The Winnebago City Council dabbled in some discussion about the Winnebago Swimming Pool at its meeting on Tuesday, April 11.

The council received a detailed report from Burbach Aquatics representative Duane Wepking about the condition of the swimming pool, which was originally constructed in 1969.

Wepking reported certain parts of the facility are still in good shape, including the bath house, various pieces of deck equipment, the main pool pump and piping system and the mechanical building.

However, the facility is overall in need of updates after over 50 years of use by the community.

Among other issues, Wepking was concerned about cracks in the vessel and on the deck, and the condition of the pool’s skimmers. He also observed the diving board is placed too far back from the edge of the pool, the portable pool stairs do not fit the pool wall properly and the electrical equipment, while functional, is outdated.

Additionally, Wepking said the building where the gas chlorine disinfectant is stored is not properly ventilated, and a zero depth entry into the wading pool is now required to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Burbach Aquatics’ estimated cost for performing the recommended maintenance to the pool facility – with no additional updates – was just over $4.7 million.

“By doing the plan laid out in the estimate, you would be extending the life of the facility another 50 years,” Wepking informed the council.

Wepking also recommended the council establish a pool committee to direct the implementation of improvements to the facility.

Observing that $4.7 million is a high price for Winnebago, the council inquired whether an intermediate repair program could be implemented instead to extend the facility’s life for another five to 10 years.

“We could do another opinion based on another scope, and draw up a limited scope proposal,” Wepking replied. “It depends on how deep the dive is with the work, if you will.” 

Ashley Bleess encouraged the council to seriously consider its plan for the pool’s future maintenance, whatever it may be.

“If we do nothing, it’s going to fall apart eventually,” Bleess said. “We need to do some planning, and have an idea for three, four, five years down the road.” 

Council member Calvin Howard said, “That number came in a lot higher than I was expecting. I also know how important the pool is to the community. With that kind of number we need to have pretty big committee involvement.” 

The council agreed to establish a pool committee to explore future improvements to the swimming pool, but decided to wait to do so until potential members have been approached.

The council also received the city’s annual audit report from Abdo Financial Solutions, which was presented by senior associate Kelsey Larson and Abby Schmidt, CPA.

Abdo issued Winnebago a clean opinion on its financial statements, although it did find one instance of noncompliance under the Minnesota Legal Compliance Audit Guides.

Last May, Abdo recommended Winnebago address the amount of debt in its utility funds through rate increases. This year, following the implementation of the rate increases, Abdo reported that while the city is still carrying some debt in those funds, the debt is decreasing.

“It’s definitely trending in the right direction, and we expect it to keep trending that way in the future,” Schmidt said. “It’s good to see that some work has been done to increase those rates.” 

In other business, the Winnebago City Council:

• Renewed its annual fire contracts with the townships of Center Creek, Delavan, Nashville, Prescott, Verona and Winnebago for a combined total of $23,750.

• Approved Resolution 807-2023 granting American Legion Post #82 a temporary off-site gambling license to conduct Bingo for Bago Fun Fest on June 18.

• Approved free swimming at the Winnebago Swimming Pool for Bago Fun Fest, June 16-18.

• Approved increases to the 2023 pool wages. The increases were proposed after Blue Earth raised its rates for swimming pool employees.

“We want to stay comparable and competitive with Blue Earth to keep guards here in Winnebago,” city administrator Judi Hynes explained.

• Approved a wage increase for deputy city clerk Kendra Reineking, who has worked with the city for one year. She will receive a five percent pay increase of $1.02 per hour, bringing her hourly wage to $21.30.

• Accepted donations to the city of Winnebago totaling $13,400.

• Approved quotes for radio read meter replacements, including M25 HRE registers and Itron 100W Pit Erts from Metering and Technology and United Systems. Together, the quotes total $4,920.

• Approved an $11,647 quote from Sioux Steel Company to purchase a hoop building to serve as a new salt shed, and approved spending an additional $4,000 to erect the building.

• Approved a $12,750 quote from Yeager Implement for a new snowblower for the Street Department.

• Approved Hynes’ request to attend the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute in May, where she will complete the first year of a three-year accreditation program to become a certified municipal clerk.

• Approved Nick Schwager’s resignation from the Planning & Zoning Commission, effective March 28, and appointed Darold Nienhaus to the commission in his place.

• Approved a $3,430.25 quote from Bolton & Menk to televise three sections of street between Cleveland Avenue W and First Avenue NW, on Sixth Street NW, Second Street NW and First Street NW, as well as the alley between Second and Fourth Streets.

• Scheduled a workshop to discuss future options for the Winnebago Police Department on Tuesday, April 18, at 7 p.m.