New estimates for Memorial Pool redo well over $4 million original cost

80-year-old pool by UW-L has been out service over 2 years 

Those days of $4 million estimates for renovating Memorial Pool in La Crosse almost seem quaint now.

That was the amount that was brought to the city council back in May.

That estimate is, apparently, a little off the mark, according to the two concepts the council is now being asked to choose from in a new resolution. 

Option one is a restoration, which is estimated to be about $5.6 million. Option two is a full renovation, with a $5.7 million price tag. 

Both include contingency amounts and are still just estimates for the pool by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

There have been no bids yet and neither option comes with a proposed timeline. That may be determined by the rate of funding.

The city dug deep to come up with just $1.5 million on the project for 2018. In early November, the council approved changes that could lead to an extra $665,000 next year. 

The funding is contingent on what the city collects from insurers and FEMA for giant storms that did hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the city. Apparently, the city’s in negotiations with insurers over the final payout and has had a FEMA application accepted.

Money to pay for that damage was taken out of reserves but apparently never fully accounted for when creating a budget for next year in the city. The 80-year-old pool has been out of service for more than two years and likely will be offline for at least another two years.