Ottawa council seeks final $1.5 million in loans for Riordan Pool bid

Construction on the new Riordan Pool at 500 E. Norris Dr. in Ottawa is running on time, with Vissering Construction working through the winter to have the project finished in time for the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day weekend.

The Ottawa City Council voted Tuesday to place on file an engagement letter between the city and Bernardi Securities to obtain an additional $1.5 million in loans to pay for the pool.

Mayor Dan Aussem said this bond will cover the costs that went over the original estimate. The pool has a total cost of $6.7 million.

“This was discussed when we originally bid it out,” Aussem said. “We were worried that it came in over but we’d already done the bonding process, so this is to cover where we’re short.”

Aussem said he’s receiving weekly updates and he’s seen pictures from inside the construction site. He said the project looks really nice, and he’s excited to see what it looks like when it’s finished.

Vissering Construction’s $6,714,670 bid to build the new Riordan Pool was accepted in September, and while the cost is more than the expected $5 million budget laid out by the city, the figure was in line with the contractor’s fall bid and rising construction prices.

“We knew from when we budgeted and from other things we’ve worked on, like the YMCA project, that it wouldn’t be a surprise that prices came in higher,” Aussem said. “The supply chain is tough, but at the end of the day, I think everybody is OK with moving forward.”

Commissioner James Less remained the sole no vote on the pool through most of the process, although there was not much discussion against it during Tuesday night’s meeting.