Based on a design by a Millersburg firm that was commissioned by City Council in December, a King of Prussia company will renovate the pool and filtration system and add a splash pad, while a company not yet chosen will renovate the bathhouse and concession stand, according to City Manager Christopher McGuire.

To be completed in time for next year’s swim season, the project will largely conform to preferences expressed in a public survey last year, McGuire said Wednesday.

Based on plans created by Aquatic Facility Design under a $413,000 contract, Main Line Commercial Pools under a $3.6 million contract will demolish most of the pool, then rebuild it; replace the stainless steel perimeter gutter; create a beach-style, accessible entry at one end; install a pair of low diving boards at the deep end; plus a slide, play features and lifeguard stands and seven race lanes for competitions, according to McGuire.

As part of this first phase, Main Line workers will also create a splash pad with features like a water dump, spinners, wands, hoops, arches and spouts.

A concept plan shows some of the renovations planned for the Prospect Pool complex. Mirror photo by William Kibler

And those workers will replace the current filtration system with a diatomaceous earth system, which uses “the fossilized, microscopic remains of aquatic organisms (diatoms) to trap extremely fine debris,” according to McGuire and an online source.

Bids have been advertised for a company to do the second phase, which is estimated to cost about $700,000 and which will involve remodeling the bathhouse and concession stand and installing solar panels on the roofs of the bathhouse and pumphouse to take the chill off the pool water, especially early in the season.

The bathhouse renovation will make that building fully accessible, with the proper number of toilets, and with the property changing room and shower room amenities for each gender, plus a family restroom facility, plus storage areas, a first aid station and a staff area.

Workers will reconfigure the internal spaces and the appliances of the concession stand so that preparing slushies, pizza and hot dogs can occur more efficiently, and they’ll upgrade the electrical and fire suppression systems, McGuire said.

The project will comply with about 80% of wishes expressed in the public survey, McGuire estimated.

Work crews began renovations at Prospect Pool in Altoona this week. Mirror photo by William Kibler

The anonymous donor is a city native, a city official said previously.

The donor “swore all of us to secrecy,” McGuire said.

The donor, however, has been easy to work with, McGuire said, and has been kept abreast of developments as the project has evolved.

“I think it’s amazing that someone cares this deeply about the city, (to be) willing to invest millions of dollars into recreation,” McGuire said. “It speaks volumes to the quality of citizenship around here.”

When the project is done, officials may approach the donor to ask if they are willing to disclose their identity, McGuire said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.