Green Bay council approves hiring of Water Technology Inc. for pool Phase 1 design at about $179,568

The Green Bay City Council approved a contract recommendation to hire Water Technology Inc. to produce engineering and construction documents for Phase 1 of the city pool improvement project. Director (name not stated) told the council the city solicited proposals from eight firms, received two quotes, and recommended Water Technology Inc. as the low bidder for $179,568.

The director said Phase 1 focuses on essential maintenance: plastering the pool basin, replacing the gutter and performing mechanical upgrades inside the mechanical building. He described modest amenity additions to the zero-depth entry area, including replacing underused spray features with a more interactive play element (potentially climbable features and a slide), adding a shade structure, installing a short zip line that extends slightly into the pool, and adding basketball hoops. "Most of the expenses will be more just basic maintenance upgrades, things that need to be done if we want to keep the pool in operation," the director said.

On funding, staff said the city bonded $200,000 in 2025 for planning and intended to bond $1,125,000 in 2026 with a matching amount in 2027 to pay for the work; the director said these bond proceeds will be used to fund the construction. The director said bids will be prepared quickly if the contract is approved and, if schedules hold, construction could start this fall and continue into next spring with the goal of opening by the following summer. He added the city is not planning a full pool closure for the work but allowed that short shutdowns ("a week or two") could be necessary.

Councilmembers discussed the motion and approved it by voice vote. The director said Water Technology Inc. had worked with the city previously and was the low bidder; no roll-call vote or member-level vote tally was recorded in the minutes.

The contract award authorizes staff to finalize scope and prepare bid documents; a separate construction contract will be required to proceed to physical work.