photo by: Journal-World File

Lawrence's Outdoor Aquatic Center at 727 Kentucky St.

The renovations to Lawrence’s Outdoor Aquatic Center could be starting soon, as the City Commission will consider awarding a construction contract for the project this week.

On Tuesday night, the commission will consider a contract of just under $4.8 million with Royal Construction Services LLC for renovating the outdoor pool at 727 Kentucky St. If the contract is approved, city staff expects the first of phase of construction could start before the end of the year.

As the Journal-World reported, the city is planning to do the project in two phases, both of which would be covered in this contract. Phase one will focus on improving the restrooms and other structures at the pool, while phase two will focus on the aquatic area itself. Phase one is expected to be completed by May 15, 2026, and phase two is expected start in late 2026 and be finished before summer 2027.

A memo in the City Commission’s meeting agenda shows that the $4.8 million contract would cover several items above and beyond the basic pool and bathhouse renovations. The construction company’s bid for rehabilitating the pool and bathhouse, replacing the pool deck, improving access for users with disabilities and building a new shallow pool is just over $3.6 million; the rest of the contract consists of a number of extra items, such as a new water slide, renovations to the shade structures and replacement of light fixtures.

Jake Baldwin, an engineering program manager with the city, told the Journal-World via email that if the contract is awarded, all of the listed items would be part of the final renovation. Baldwin said that city staff hopes the shade structures can be renovated and the new water slide installed during the first phase.

The water slide included in the contract might not be the only one. The contract contains a contingency amount of $433,700, and Baldwin said that if that amount isn’t used for anything else, it might go toward adding a second water slide.

“The contract award as presented is for a single-slide on a tower that can accommodate two slides,” Baldwin told the Journal-World. “The intent is to add the second slide with approved contingency funds.”

The renovation plans for the Outdoor Aquatic Center have changed significantly since the project was first proposed last year.

When the project was first brought before the City Commission in August 2024, it included features like a lazy river and a 2,300-square-foot splash pad and shallow pool, but it also would have had less total pool space. In response to this proposal, 1,700 people signed a petition to reconsider the design, and the commission approved the current concept in November 2024.

The timeline has changed, too. Initially, the city had anticipated that construction would take place this summer, with a grand opening scheduled for 2026. But in August, the city announced that construction would not start until later this year. Part of the reason for this change was to accommodate the Jayhawk Watershed Project, a stormwater project which included construction right next to the pool.

The Lawrence City Commission meets at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. The Outdoor Aquatic Center renovations are on the commission’s consent agenda, which is a group of items generally considered routine that can be voted on in a single motion.

photo by: City of Lawrence

One design concept for the shallow pool in the city’s renovation of the Outdoor Aquatic Center.