News File Photo Members of the Thunder Bay Schooners swim team prepare to dive during a meet at the Alpena Plaza Pool in 2016. Partners in Alpena County are looking into the possible expansion of the APlex, which could include a pool. If that happens, the Plaza Pool property would revert back to Alpena Public Schools.

ALPENA — If a proposed plan to expand the APlex in Alpena and have a new community pool constructed there, Alpena County would surrender the property where the Alpena Plaza Pool sits back to Alpena Public Schools.

It was announced earlier this week that the county, school district, Park Family Foundation and several other partners are in the preliminary stages of gathering information about expanding APlex and having a new pool built.

Alpena County Administrator Mary Catherine Hannah said the proposed project is in its infancy and there are no plans to close the Plaza Pool until a new pool is built.

Hannah added the county would not take on the entire cost of building, maintaining and operating a pool. Instead, it will work with its partners to pay the bills.

At Wednesday’s Alpena County Facilities, Capital, and Strategic Planning Committee meeting, Hannah gave a brief history to the commissioners about Plaza Pool, as well as gave an update on the proposed project.

Hannah said years ago, the school district gave the property to the county to build and operate the pool and if a pool is built and ever closed, the land would revert back to APS.

The reason the property needed to be deeded to the county, Hannah said, was because at the time, the county was the only entity that could apply for the DNR funding to build it.

“The county took possession of the property, applied for the funding, got it, and the pool was built,” she said.

Before the county had the pool built, Hannah said, there was always an understanding that the school and country would share expenses for the pool, with the school district paying a brunt of operational costs. Eventually school budgets became an issue and APS pulled its financial support for Plaza Pool.

“They picked up the lion’s share of the cost for a very long time and they had a very robust swim team, community lessons, and other things,” Hannah said. “Then the schools ran into financial difficulty and they seemed to remember the county owned the land and building and turned it over to the county for operational purposes.”

Hannah said the school district continued to help pay with utility costs, but in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the school system severed the utility connection, leaving the county to pick up the entire cost.

Dave Rabbideau, APS superintendent, said the school district may not be able to help pay for construction or operations for a pool at APlex because it would have to come from tax money allocated to education.

He said there are other ways the school can help through, including leasing the pool for classes, swim and dive team practices, and other events.

Rabbideau said if the Plaza Pool eventually closes and the property reverts back to APS, there are no definite plans for the space where the current pool is.

He said there is a meeting coming up soon about future projects for the high school. Rabbideau said discussion will focus on needs and improvements that can be done with a portion of the $33.9 million in bonds that voters approved in 2020.

He said the bond money could possibly be used to improve the Plaza Pool space for student use or other school funding resources could be used to make changes to the old pool area.

“It would make sense financially to do something if we have a contractor working on other projects at the high school,” he said. “So, I think the timing is about right.”

Rabbideau confirmed the school is considering reestablishing its swim and dive team, but the hangup is the Plaza Pool doesn’t meet the requirements set by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. He said that would prevent swim meets being held in Alpena.

The project at APlex would likely be done in phases with the pool being the first portion of the overall plan. Hannah said other projects could include more gym space, a larger workout area, pickleball courts, and more space for activities like karate.

The county is issuing a request for proposals to get bids to have preliminary design plans done for the proposed APlex expansions.