On Wednesday the Bay Oaks Recreation Campus Advisory Board met to hear a presentation from Opulent Outlines about the new Bay Oaks pool. The concept had already been presented to the Town Council and shared with the beach community. The Town Council kicked it back to BORCAB to get their input and suggestions.
Fort Myers Beach was awarded a little over $13 million in CBDG-DR funds for three projects; the North Island Water Tower, The Bay Oaks Pool and Newton Beach Park. The money is from the federal government (HUD) and administered by Lee County. $4.7 million of the total must be used for the tower, leaving $8.3 million for the park and the pool. At every step of the way, Lee County must approve what the town is doing for each project. The rules to spend the CDBG-DR funds are very strict.
On Wednesday, Opulent representatives told BORCAB committee members the new pool will cost between $4.3 million and $4.5 million. They were shown a video and pictures of the design that was previously presented to the Town Council. A lot of what was presented in the pretty overhead pictures will not be included in the rebuild, such as picnic tables, tiki huts, sail shades, and landscaping. All of those add-ons would come later and a funding mechanism would need to be identified (currently the town is dealing with a projected $300,000 fiscal 2027 budget shorfall). The committee would have liked to see pictures of exactly what the town would be getting from Opulent for the $4.5 million.
When Opulent’s Jason Tobias was asked how much the new pool would cost to maintain he didn’t have an answer. When he was asked how many lifeguards were needed, he said he would need to get through engineering first.
What happened next seemed to baffle everyone. Nobody seems to know if the structure under the pool is stable. BORCAB member John Dussliere, who’s spent his entire professional career around pools, said “100% of the concrete under the pool will need to come up. The tree coming out of the drain tells me it’s rooted into earth.” The pool has not been touched since Hurricane Ian came through 4 years ago and Tobias said the kiddie pool shell is not repairable.
That’s when the meeting got a smidge confusing. BORCAB Chair Michele Cherney said the kiddie pool was not allowed to be discussed during the meeting. It was unclear why, not only to the public, but to other committee members. Town Council liaison Rebecca Link stated the “kiddie pool was not up for discussion.”
Tobias did say, if his pool was to be built, he would be using the existing shell of the bigger pool. He then admitted he had not taken any core samples of the shell to determine if it was safe to build on. His estimate of $4.5 million is based on the shell being sound. “There’s definitely some unknowns in every structure,” Tobias added.
Dussliere went on to say that his biggest concern is the cost when we find all of those things out. “When we’re looking at a budget of under $5 million, it really is scary. What lies beneath is a mystery right now. It’s a startling mystery if you’ve ever been around a pool rehab. We have to know if the shell needs to be replaced.”
Cherney said it sounds like we’re doing things backwards. “Wouldn’t we do the study first to find out if the pool shell is shot before putting this design together.”
Town staff members in the BORCAB meeting did not know if the structure was sound. It’s unclear if the town leadership even knows if the structure under the pool is sound. We reached out to Town Manager Will McKannay and Mayor Dan Allers to see if they had those answers on Thursday but had not heard back by the time we hit send on our Friday newsletter. We will publish an update if we hear back Friday.
BORCAB member Joy Sullivan said, “The feedback I’ve been getting from the community is that this resort-style pool needs to be toned down a bit.”
Dussliere then presented BORCAB members with this picture of a toned down version of the Opulent pool. It eliminates a waterfall structure in the pool, and moves the slide, improving the line of sight for lifeguards.
BORCAB then made a recommendation to the Town Council that they consider Dussliere’s toned down version of the pool. While all of this is going on, the design phase of the pool has stopped. Until the Town Council approves a final product, giving Opulent direction on what to build, they cannot proceed. Any changes to the current design will delay the process. It’s also important to remember that the town is budgeting $60,000 in revenue from the pool in 2027.
It’s unclear when the pool will be discussed again. Cherney does plan to make a committee report at the next Town Council meeting which is scheduled for 1PM September 23rd.
I have a question. Most people at resort pools like to enjoy a beer, rum punch, etc while sitting around the pool or even while in the water. I assume alcohol is not allowed at Bay Oaks. If this is true, then only the people really interested in being in the water for exercise are going to use the pool. What we had there before is fine. Bay Oaks is not a resort
Wake Up People !!!!!!!
Every “Ground Level Pool” on FMB will eventually be filled up with Ocean water, sand, and debris AGAIN in the future ! Just look at Margaritaville, but we (FMB) don’t have the budget to keep repairing it after every seasonal water storm type surge each year, AND the other contributing factor, the islands storm surge drains are still plugged with past hurricane sludge / debris. Don’t waste our tax payer money fixing it every time it happens or the cost of maintaining a swimming pool pleasure that we can’t afford ! Quit spending Millions of Dollars on a ground level pool that will never last !
I must be missing something here. Didn’t the Town just raise taxes, while the Town’s budget, expenses, and shortfalls were all being discussed? And wasn’t Bay Oaks identified as one of the Town’s significant expenses, costing taxpayers approximately $700,000 a year?
If that’s the case, I have to question the reasoning behind taking on even more expenses for pool maintenance, chemicals, supplies, staffing, insurance, and ongoing upkeep.
The anticipated $60,000 in revenue seems like it would be only a small fraction of the cost of operating and maintaining what is essentially a large pool complex. Where is the financial analysis showing that this is a responsible use of taxpayer dollars?
Town Council, what are you thinking?
Why is this even being considered right now when the Town is already facing significant budget challenges and Bay Oaks is already costing taxpayers so much?
Before moving forward with additional expenses, shouldn’t the Town be focused on reducing costs, addressing existing budget shortfalls, and making sure current taxpayer-funded facilities are financially sustainable?
Taxpayers deserve a clear explanation of the total projected cost, expected revenue, and long-term financial impact before the Town takes on another ongoing expense.
Amen!! Well said.
OMGosh….If we can’t get the pool rebuilt for $4m, something is totally wrong. And that’s with chairs, tables, umbrellas, slides, snack bar, restrooms +++. Am I totally living in the past?
Unfortunately costs have doubled just since Ian. My pool was built right before IAN for around 50K. The SAME pool now, is close to 90K. Oh and it’s the smallest pool you can build at 10×15, with a 5 foot sun ledge. So basically a “plunge” pool.
Taxes are doubled, insurance doubled, EVERYTHING doubled. Except for income.
Opulent? Really? Is that what we’re going for? How about Resilient? Sounds like our consultant has so far focused strictly on beauty while completely ignoring structure. Regarding the benefits of even having a pool: I’m sure it’s great for renters walking from nearby Tropical Shores Way, but imagine what a fun car ride in season from Lagoon Road, a grueling 4+ miles away!
AGAIN …. Wake Up People !!!!!!!
Every “Ground Level Pool” on FMB will eventually be filled up with Ocean water, sand, and debris AGAIN in the future ! Just look at Margaritaville, but we (FMB) don’t have the budget to keep repairing it after every seasonal water storm type surge each year, AND the other contributing factor, the islands storm surge drains are still plugged with past hurricane sludge / debris. Don’t waste our tax payer money fixing it every time it happens or the cost of maintaining a swimming pool pleasure that we can’t afford !! Quit wasting millions of dollars on a FMB community pool, that would never last, and just go swim in the ocean before it is destroyed once again !!!!
Don’t waste your effort people, It doesn’t really matter if we support it or not, the town is gonna do what the town always does.
Yep. Costly bad decisions are in the works now. SMH
Bay Oaks is effectively a community center or what would be considered a YMCA when you factor in all of the amenities (i.e., ball fields, pickle ball, fitness center, classes & programs, etc.).
How about a feasibility study to understand who uses it, how often its used, cost to operate, revenue and driving what benefit to the community. Similar centers in Lee and Collier county exist, what do their facilities look like and how do they function (e.g., Marco Island is majorly expanding their YMCA yet continue to have a functionally basic pool for lap swimmers and classes).
That being said, rather than the town continuing to operate and maintain the entire facility (and potentially subsidizing it with tax payer money) could it be outsourced or sell it to the Lee county YMCA to operate and maintain.
We bought it from Lee County.
I agree the Town should outsource the operation of the Bay Oaks facility, including thepool, along with the Moring field and the mountain house. They should license those facilities to a private entity to run as a for-profit business. The town has demonstrated a history of never been able to meet costs on any of those facilities. We taxpayers should not have to subsidize their use.
Mound House.
What happened underneath the pool shell during four years without the counterweight of water is a legitimate engineering question. I don’t know much about pools, but I know that.
I want to talk about the kiddie pool.
Oppulent Pools presentation seems a tad bit on the sketchy side. Let’s see… they include all kinds of pretty add ons that aren’t included in the pool build, they haven’t tested the base structure of the existing pool or it’s system and it appears that they are just winging it. I think there needs to be a lot more research into this before we drop 5 million plus on this project. I think we also need another estimate from another company that has all of the rebuild costs itemized so we know exactly what is being proposed and the actual costs associated with it.
Prior to Ian the pool was well attended by lap swimmers, water aerobics classes, buses of children’s summer camps and field trips, swimming lessons, emergency response trainings, as well as the splash pad. I happen to have mobility issues with a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. The Bay Oaks pool for me was a difference of being able to walk or not. The deep end non weight bearing water therapy was not only physical health but mental health and so many other benefits as well. Many others have recovered from surgeries and battled other health challenges that the pool was a part of their healing journey also. I personally attended every week Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at least one class and sometimes two. I was the pool “paparazzi” in the back (lol) often capturing countless videos of the quality of instruction and the class enjoying the benefits. We often times had large classes with 20-30 people. The aquatic center is much more than a pool, it was a critical hub for many. We came together as a community and often went to breakfasts after class supporting many local businesses year round, we volunteered together, friendships were made and shared life together, it was a close knit community that welcomed new community members, locals, seasonal regulars each year, as well as short term tourist participants. Erin Adkins and her staff offered exceptional classes with amazing music that are unique to FMB that cannot be found anywhere in SWFL. I have been to many of the non comparable classes from Fort Myers down to Marco Island there is nothing even close to comparable. The pool is greatly needed in the community upgraded or not.
Thanks Dawn, I’ve been trying to get that across since Ian. Sometimes I felt that I was the only resident that cared since the new council. I miss you all at water aerobics. 2 fake hips cannot jump on a payment safely.
While it sounds like you all had a wonderful situation before Ian. But let’s be honest … should taxpayers pay millions of dollars for a pool and ongoing maintenance as well as continuing to pay for the operation of the Bay Oaks facility (because it cannot support itself), when the vast majority of folks don’t even use them?? Why is it fair to ask taxpayers to foot the bill for millions and hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to cover maintenance, insurance, etc., etc., so 50, 100 or even 200 people can benefit from it? Bay Oaks facility is already costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year the town cannot afford! Taxpayer dollars need to be spent on resources, entertainment, etc., the VAST MAJORITY of taxpayers will benefit from. The town cannot afford this pool and the ongoing maintenance/upkeep of it and Bay Oaks needs to be sold/outsourced to reduce the town’s overhead expenses.
Thank you to John D. who has common sense! The pool needs a concrete base before the build. A major catastrophe was averted. I miss the pool! For the residents and visitors who don’t have a pool this is great! Not all rentals have pools.
I miss the exercise portion of the pool. Many (esp seniors) attended water aerobics classes. Many would also use the lanes for swimming laps. In my opinion, this pool does not need to compete with Margaritaville making it another resort pool. It is part of a fitness complex.
Another boondoggle in the making and fleecing of the property tax payers.
I don’t think a community pool is needed at all. It’s a total waste of tax payer money!!! When tourist come to our island they go to the beach and stay at hotels that have pools or rent homes that have pools. There is absolutely no need for a community pool that we the tax payers have to pay for and maintain with our money!!!!!! There won’t be enough people using this facility to justify the costs of maintaining it!!!
This is based on what research, exactly?
I lived on Fort Myers Beach for 22 years and I can say from first hand experience that the pool was packed with families, tourists, people using it for exercise and others just enjoying the cool water to socialize. For many of us it was the highlight of our weekend to spend a long Saturday at the Beach Pool. As someone stated above, it became a social hub for many of us and not all rentals have pools so the tourists do use it.
Thanks for the comment Keri, it is exactly what I would have said.
Seriously, does anyone have a count on the usage of the pool when the island was full back in 2021-2022? I’m not sure spending 5 million is what that area needs. I’ve lived on island for a good nine years and never once thought about going to a public pool.
The beach pool was not even directly on the coast. Our coastal pool was hit hard by Ian. But we made repairs and cleaned it up. The concrete shell is fine! Fix and repair the pool. This is another tax payer money grab by consultants and developers.
Sounds like too many unknowns for this project to move forward right now. There needs to be more clarity on some basic, but very important matters; such as can the existing pool shell be used, or not?