Shell of new Quincy pool scheduled to arrive this month

QUINCY — While it’s not scheduled to open until next summer, the new Quincy Aquatic Center will really start taking shape this fall. Construction crews started excavating the site in July, and Quincy Parks and Recreation Director Russ Harrington said there’s been a lot of progress below ground level.  

“I think all the concrete pours for underground are done,” Harrington said. 

Chervenell Construction out of Kennewick was awarded a $15.7 million for the construction of the pool, with completion scheduled in June 2026. Some of the progress is visible from F Street Southwest, where walls are going up for the front entrance, equipment rooms, locker rooms and a concession stand. Crews are also working on the concrete base for the new pool. The pool is a metal shell with a lining, and the panels that will make up the shell are scheduled to start arriving sometime this month, Harrington said.  

“It gets shipped over from Italy,” he said, and is welded together onsite. Backfilling is part of the installation, of course, and the contractor, Chervenell Construction, Kennewick, is working to get all that done before cold weather and frost make that task impossible.  

Because that’s a lot of metal and a lot of water, the underground concrete base is getting close and careful attention. 

“It has to be well-prepared to drop in a very weighty object like a pool,” said Quincy City Administrator Pat Haley. 

Quincy City Council members approved changes to the contract Sept. 2 at the request of City Engineer Ariel Belino. The site is close to the water table, he said, and additional water barriers were needed to protect the concrete.  

Construction crews are also working on the new parking lot, with the goal of laying down the asphalt in October.  

“If they can get that done, they should be sitting in a good spot,” Harrington said. “The weather – that's the key.” 

Relocation of a fiber conduit caused a short delay, Haley said, but otherwise the project is on schedule. 

“The contractor makes the most money when things are done in the shortest amount of time,” Haley said.  

Attendance for the last season of the existing pool was a little lower than in 2024, Harrington said, but until poor weather conditions hit in August, attendance was running ahead of last year. He said he thought that was due in part to interest in the new pool. 

“There are a lot of people we talked to who grew up with this pool. And there were a lot of people coming over (to go to the pool) and bringing their families, because this was the last chance they’re going to get,” he said. 

Work on the entrance building is projected to continue over the winter. Harrington said the visible progress is sparking a lot of interest.  

“Everybody is getting excited,” he said. 

    The old Quincy Aquatic Center has been demolished and a new center is under construction. Concept art, above, shows roughly what the new facility should look like when it opens in 2026.