Palmetto says Manatee County needs to spend more on new swimming pool

Manatee County's proposed request for proposal to build a new aquatics center at Lincoln Park in Palmetto is leaving the city feeling all wet.

The county is preparing a 200-page request for proposal setting a maximum price at $3 million, when it was said to be $4 million, and leaving key amenities as alternatives instead of guarantees. A key amenity the city insisted on was including a diving well into the main pool to attract regional swimming and diving competitions.

"I'm not understanding this," said Palmetto Commissioner Tamara Cornwell. "It was said over and over again that they were going to agree to that. Potential is not concrete and the agreement was for a pool to be able to hold competitive swimming and diving."

During negotiations between the city and the county during the first half of 2017, the county wanted the city to put $1 million toward the pool, with the county putting up $3 million. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency ultimately stepped in to put $850,000 toward the project over the next 15 years and the city would give up all lands associated with the park, valued at $440,000, to the county.

The county's RFP isn't what the city agreed to in order to become a partner on the project, and they want an explanation.

"I think it would do us well to have them come back and remind them what was said the first time," CRA Director Jeff Burton said. "This is what we were told we would get and this is the money we said we would put in. The county said they were good with that, so let's hold them to their word."

Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker could not immediately be reached for comment.

Burton indicated not everyone involved in the project agreed with the proposed RFP.

"It was a very interesting pre-RFP meeting," Burton said. "There was some arguing."

The RFP does list as primary projects a competitive size swimming pool, a separate pool for walk-in swimmers and improvements to the current splash park. It's the diving well being listed as an alternative that has Palmetto upset, and there are doubts $3 million would cover what is in the RFP.

"There were a few skeptics at that meeting," Burton said. "It would be a very tight project for that amount of money and it was interesting to see that it was not all harmonious. We are within our rights as a partner to have them come back and explain that document."

Though more meetings are planned before a RFP is released, Burton said the RFP is not just a design RFP, but a design and build RFP, meaning it would quicken the pace and have the aquatics center constructed by the summer of 2019. But Palmetto doesn't want the county to rush out a RFP of which they don't agree.

"Quick isn't necessarily right," Cornwell said. "We want it done right."

City Commissioner Jonathan Davis agreed, noting, "This pool isn't just for Palmetto, it's for the whole side of north river. It needs to be the best facility we can have."

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Palmetto says Manatee County needs to spend more on new swimming pool."