12 May 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Commissioner Kevin Cook joined the KSNT 27 News Morning show to speak about changes coming soon to the Oakland neighborhood.
Cook said starting this summer, they will begin renovations and construction on a new aquatic center to replace the current one in the Oakland neighborhood.
Last summer, 27 News reported that there was vandalism at the Oakland pool. Due to broken glass, the pool had to be drained and closed until chemicals could balance out. There were additional reports of vandalism prior to this incident in the form of graffiti and broken fixtures as well.
“Last summer was very regrettable,” Commissioner Cook said. “The Oakland pool was built in 1965, so we are talking about a pool that has been around for a long time. It’s way overdue for updates.”
But now, commissioners have agreed to dedicate a sum of money to build a new pool. They have been in the works with contractors and bidders in the past weeks to discuss the future plans.
“Hopefully, very soon, you are going to see some design proposals and more community engagement to narrow down what pool they want.”
Having said that, he expects if all things go as planned, to start construction on the new facility this summer. However, the old pool will still remain open while that construction is going on.
“We haven’t decided just yet if it’s a pool, or if it’s a spray park,” Cook said. “Those are the things we need community engagement on to see ‘What does Oakland want?’ And ‘What does Oakland need?’ And ‘What is going to be best for the community?’”.
In addition to speaking about the Oakland pool renovations, he also touched on updates with the Gage Park Improvement Authority as well as re-drawing commissioners’ districts. For more details on these topics, you can watch the full interview above.