DUNCAN – The City of Duncan will cover a $132,000 bill for construction costs tied to the Simmons Center pool roof replacement project, using part of the city’s $400,000 contribution to the project.
The Duncan Economic Development Trust Authority, which is made up of the five Duncan City Council members, voted 4-0 last Tuesday to approve the payment, communications director Loisdawn Jones said Wednesday in an email. Mayor Robert Armstrong was absent.
The Simmons Center Foundation recently applied to the city for payment of a $132,000 invoice for gravel ballast removal costs associated with the pool roof replacement project, City Manager Chris Deal said in a July 28 memo to the authority.
“It is recommended that Chairman and Trustees consider approving $132,000.00 of economic development sales tax funds for the Simmons Center pool roof replacement project to be paid to the Simmons Center Foundation,” he said.
Gravel ballast removal involves clearing loose gravel from a roof before repairing leaks, conducting inspections or installing a new roof coating.
In April, the authority approved a $400,000 contribution to help the Simmons Foundation cover the cost of replacing the roof over the Simmons Center’s pool. The city used part of the proceeds from its economic-development sales tax for the contribution.
The payment for gravel ballast removal will come out of the city’s April contribution, Jones said.
Roof replacement
The pool roof replacement project is part of a larger endeavor that includes renovating the pool area and putting in new roofs on the north and south sides of the building, Southwest Ledger reported in April. The Simmons Center Foundation has estimated that replacing the pool roof alone would cost $800,000, and the larger project would cost approximately $1.8 million.
The city’s contribution will help cover the cost of the new pool roof and a new air system, the Simmons Center’s executive director, Rex Outhier, said at the time. He said the center has also earmarked funds for those items.