Mexico City Council members heard findings and recommendations regarding the Mexico Municipal Swimming Pool during Monday night’s regular meeting.
The city of Mexico retained Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, LLC to review and evaluate the existing municipal pool and to provide recommendations for improvement. The company specializes in the analysis of aquatic facility conditions as well as providing design for renovation of older facilities. The company also specializes in the design of new facilities.
The pool facility was originally built in the mid-1980s. The pool facility consists of a bathhouse, a separate building (originally used for concessions), an L-shaped lap and diving pool and a wading pool. The size of the pool is approximately 10,600 square feet for the main pool and another 900 square feet for the wading pool. City staff reported there may have been some issues during construction, which have led to issues with maintaining and operating the pool throughout the  years.
A concept plan was also presented that includes various possible enhancements to show what improvements are possible at the pool. The opinion of cost for this concept, including renovation and enhancements is approximately $2,840,000.
In contrast to a renovation alternative, a new aquatic center with modern amenities and a similar water surface area of 11,000 square feet would likely cost in the range of $4 million to $5 million.

In council business:
• Members passed a resolution authorizing City Manager Todd Thompson to enter into an ageement with the Audrain City-County Health Unit for services provided to the city of Mexico. ACCHU provides health, environmental and emergency preparedness services to Mexico residents. The resolution authorizes the city to contribute the sum of $167,500 to ACCHU which includes $107,500 ongoing support and a one time contribution of $60,000 for the budget year 2009-2010.
• Members passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Virginia Robertson to sign a Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note with Martinsburg Bank and Trust regarding the Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements. The loan is for a term of 12 months with two conditional, one year renewable options with an annually adjusted interest rate (4.55 percent for the next 12-month period).
• Members passed an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a State Block Grant Agreement, Amendment 1, with the Missouri Department of Transportation for the Mexico Memorial Airport-Hagan Brothers Field terminal building.
Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation was retained by the city of Mexico in June, 2008 to provide architectural and engineering services for the construction of the 3,516-square-foot terminal building. Huey Construction Company of Fulton has been selected as the contractor for the project.
On Oct. 13, 2008 council approved a State Block Grant Agreement with MoDOT which provided $300,000 for the airport terminal building. MoDOT is allocating an additional $89,422 to the city of Mexico to cover costs associated with the new terminal building.
• Members passed an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a State Block Grant Agreement with MoDOT for non-primary entitlement program funds for the airport taxilane widening. MoDOT is allocating to the city of Mexico $106,400 from federal non-primary entitlement funds for the taxilane widening. These funds are comprised of the balance of the city’s 2009 federal non-primary entitlement funds and unspent entitlement funds that have been transferred from another Missouri airport.
• Council members passed an ordinance amending Chapter 15, Zoning, Article VIII, Height and Area, Division 3, Exceptions to and modifications or regulations, Section 15-393, Fences.
This ordinance of the Mexico City Code changes the setback limits for the placement of fences on properties. The current code requires that all fences be placed no closer than 10 feet from adjacent dwellings. The change will reduce the setback requirement for fences to 5 feet.
• Members passed an ordinance accepting the sanitary sewer across Elmwood on the north side of Boulevard and along the west side of Elmwood between Boulevard and Liberty.
• Council members passed an ordinance creating Sanitary Sewer District A-185 in the city of Mexico. Sanitary sewer improvements have been constructed across Elmwood north of Boulevard and north along the west side of Elmwood between Boulevard and Liberty. Those improvements are 2040 lineal feet of 2-inch force main, 1894 lineal feet of 8-inch gravity sewer, 8 manholes and one lift station, all installed according to approved plans and specifications. Areas served by the sanitary sewers are designed as numbered sewer districts.
In other business, Ans Schmidtke was appointed to the Mexico Tourism Commission.