Renovations continue on Prospect Pool

City Council awards contract for bath house renovations

The Prospect Pool complex's reconstruction is on schedule to be completed for next year's swim season, City Manager Christopher McGuire said after Monday's city council meeting.

During the meeting, city council members awarded the bath house renovations to Clark Contractors of Bedford in the amount of $696,313.85 as part of a consent vote with other resolutions, which included awarding demolition and repository bids.

A full renovation of the bath house will make it fully compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, McGuire said, noting the bath house was not previously ADA compliant and with the contract now approved, all of the work within the roughly $4.3 million reconstruction project has been approved.

Plans for the bath house also include family changing rooms that didn't previously exist, updated men's and women's locker rooms and a solar array that will be mounted on the roof and used to heat the swimming pool, according to McGuire.

As part of the consent vote, the council awarded a demolition bid for a garage at 613 N. Seventh Avenue for $5,100 and a bid for property at 226 Beech Ave. Both bids were awarded to Leckey's Demolition of Johnstown and will be paid from the city's All Together Altoona fund.

Presentations heard

Prior to adopting the resolutions, the council heard three presentations and several comments from members in the audience.

Responding to the severe flooding event on July 5 and 6, U.S. Small Business Administration public affairs specialist Riley Oates said SBA offers low-interest, long-term disaster recovery loans to renters, homeowners, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

A physical damage program offers loans up to $100,000 in personal property loss, Oates said, noting the deadline to apply is Sept. 21.

An economic injury and disaster loan program is a working capital loan for ordinary and necessary expenses like rent and utilities, he said. The deadline for loans in that program is April 21, 2027, Oates said.

People can apply online through the Small Business Administration's portal at lending.sba.gov.

Duane Bordell and Tony DeGol addressed the council about the 9/11 anniversary committee's upcoming event at the Jaffa Shrine Center, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Although the event starts promptly at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, DeGol said he encourages the city's officials and residents to arrive early, as there are events taking place before the main program, including a Walk of Honor in which local firefighters, police officers and emergency workers will be saluted upon walking into the building.

"Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott is heading that up for us, and tonight we certainly extend to all firefighters, police officers and emergency workers to be part of this," DeGol said, adding the committee is in need of first responders to register for the walk by contacting Ott.

Patrick White, a past president of the Friends of Flight 93 nonprofit organization, who is also the cousin of United Airlines Flight 93 passenger Louis J. Nacke II, will be the keynote speaker, and there will be a great deal of musical entertainment at the event, DeGol said.

Victory Brinker, a former contestant of NBC's "America's Got Talent," will perform, along with several local musicians and musical groups, DeGol said, noting anyone can attend the event for free.

Dan Bradley of Young, Oakes, Brown & Co. presented the 2025 audit, in which the city earned an unmodified or "clean" opinion, meaning the city's financial statements are fair, accurate and follow standard accounting rules.