About two dozen Logan County residents, including Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District (BJRD) trustee members and a handful of children, grabbed the opportunity to share their wish list and ask questions about the new Hoffman pool at a community design meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13.
Kris Myers, parks supervisor, opened by expressing their excitement for the project, adding, “But we really want to hear from you.”
Of course, the main challenge for the parks department will be fitting what the community wants into their limited budget for the project — coming in at $8 million, including design and construction.
After an introduction from Myers, the meeting was led by the team from MSA Design out of Columbus: Keith Hall, principal owner, and Allison Rubadue, project designer.
Hall and Rubadue started by reviewing the existing structure, which was built in 1968.
“There’s a lot of history there, and we don’t want to ignore that,” Hall said.
But what they can’t ignore is a rusted electrical panel and a mechanical system that doesn’t meet current standards as well as the overall signs of age. Rubadue also pointed out the large amount of concrete and lack of shade around the pool.
“This is the result of a facility that’s been in operation far, far, far beyond its time,” Hall explained. “They should have had this discussion 25 years ago.”
As for the facility’s future, Rubadue presented a plethora of ideas up for discussion, beginning with how many pool areas people want. That could mean sticking with one big space like we have now or splitting the water into separate uses. For example, Rubadue showed a recent project that has a main pool, a lap pool and a kiddie pool.
Other topics of discussion included: diving boards—height along with choosing platform or springboard, activities in and around the pool, zero entry or stairs, a splash pad, slides—how many and what kind, and even a lazy river.
When asked if they were going to restore the current water slide, Hall said no. In fact, he added, “The only things we’ll take from the old pool are the really cool trashcans and the grill to cook your hotdogs on.”
One commenter encouraged multiple pools because “ropes are terrible at containing kids … they go right past it.” More pools would give more usable space as well, since several people pointed out how the center of the current pool rarely gets used.
As for entry to the pool area, it’s already part of the plan that people won’t have to walk through the locker rooms anymore. In addition, they will have at least one family/universal restroom with a changing table.
Another key component the audience seemed to agree with was having more than one diving board. One attendee stated, “There are legendary people in our community who wouldn’t be legendary without it.” Then he said, “It’s a right of passage to have a three-meter diving board.”
Myers agreed, suggesting the pool have two diving boards: a one-meter springboard and a three-meter platform.
Another option that received a lot of support was bench seating along the inside wall of the pool. And one woman hoped they would include something for kids to play on besides the handrails, “even if it’s just a separate rail to swing on.”
In response to comments about things like floaties — which currently aren’t allowed — and limited hours for lap swimming, Myers said, “We will reevaluate our rules. We’ll really take a hard look at that.”
Finally, the parking lot itself will be updated as someone commented that the current configuration is “a nightmare.” The intention, though, is to keep it in the same location.
Overall, the meeting gave the design team and the BJRD a lot to consider as they put a plan together. Two more meetings will be conducted next year. The first will explore options based on Thursday night’s meeting, and the last one, around March, will present a near-final vision for the new Hoffman Pool.
As for next summer, they will open the pool for two months, then close it before the end of July to start construction on Aug. 1, 2026. If all goes according to schedule, the facility will be ready for the community to enjoy during the summer of 2027. And, Myers said, they intend to keep the daily admission fee under $5.
If you’d like to participate in further discussions regarding the Hoffman Pool, follow the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District Facebook page for updates.
