Flynn Pool project will cost Watertown $3.8 million

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - Bids opened Thursday to get Watertown’s Flynn Pool back in operation. It closed in 2020, and the project to fix it up is controversial among city officials.

The lowest bid for general construction, which will restore the bathhouse and L-shaped pool, came from Con Tech Building Systems at nearly $2.7 million.

“I feel that there should be a pool in all the neighborhoods in Watertown,” said Scott Gillan, who represented Con Tech

Hyde-Stone Mechanical provided the lowest bids for plumbing and mechanical work at just under $200,000 and $112,000 respectively.

“I was pleasantly surprised. I thought getting a little later into the construction there may not be any bids,” said Watertown City Council Member Lisa Ruggiero, a longtime supporter of the project.

The only bid for electrical work came from Black Stone Electric at nearly $362,000.

That places the project $168,000 over the initial estimate of $3.2 million.

Ruggiero says she’s not worried.

“Yes, they’re a little bit over, but that’s happened on other projects,” she said.

City Manager Ken Mix says add in preliminary engineering, engineering design, construction administration and third-party testing, and the price tag becomes $3,827,894.

Mayor Jeff Smith says he’s not happy.

“Whether the bids came in at a dollar, this amount, or $10 million, the city of Watertown does not need three pools,” he said.

Smith calls the project a waste of money, citing a declining city population. He says the funds would be better spent elsewhere.

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