In late 2014, the City of Merrill hired WTI to plan and design their new outdoor aquatic facility. As the architect-of-record and prime consultant, WTI was responsible for all building architecture on site, including the bathhouse and mechanical room.

The new facility replaces the previous swimming pool, which was originally constructed in 1968. After ongoing maintenance challenges and some mechanical issues, the Merrill Parks & Recreation Commission made the decision to permanently close the 44-year-old pool in Stange’s Park and work toward a new facility to better serve the needs of the community.

After several meetings with the city and stakeholders, it was decided that the new aquatic center would be located at the Merrill Area Recreation Center to better serve Merrill residents as well as county residents and visitors to Council Grounds State Park.

The aquatic center features a six-lane competition and lap pool, a diving well with 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards, a climbing wall, water basketball, tethered floatables, a zero depth entry area with a splash structure and interactive spray features, slides and a deck with a shaded seating area.

WTI remains responsible for the coordination of all construction administration.

“WTI’s role will be to continue to help us through all the infinite details and be our technical consultants,” Merrill Parks and Recreation Director Dan Wendorf said. “Building an aquatic center is a very big undertaking. We have taken a great deal of time in gathering various perspectives and citizen input to put this all together. In turn, we have ended up with a 700-page project manual. WTI is very good at what they do and we will continue to rely on their expertise in helping us along the way."