BEATRICE, Neb. - While it may not be something right in the here and now, the Beatrice City Council continued discussions about possible upgrades to the Big Blue Waterpark.

On Monday night, the City Council was briefed on the findings of Waters Edge Aquatic Designs’ conditions assessment and the results of an open house held in September. Waters Edge Principal Kyle McCauley noted the pool is in decent condition, given its 30 years in operation, but one main area that could use upgrades are the water slides.

“At the bottom of the purple slide, right before the rider goes into the pool, you can tell the movement that happened over the years,” McCauley said. “It’s just now become a major repair point.”

McCauley explained that different tiers of work mean different prices. Waters Edge’s recommended repairs were projected to cost around $1-2 million, a full slate of upgrades could jump the price to $6-8 million, while a full replacement could reach $11 million.

In an open house held this summer, residents had the opportunity to share their thoughts, wants, and opinions for a new pool.

McCauley said there was widespread support.

“Participation was largely residents of Beatrice and good portion of people had strong support of the facility,” McCauley said. “People identified wanting a lazy river, water slides, zero-depth entry, kids features and a play structure. Pretty standard stuff that we see from communities.”

A lazy river was the number one want by those taking part in the open house. McCauley says strategic planning would be needed to ensure there would be enough life guards to staff a lazy river.

Councilman Ted Fairbanks recognized pool and city staff for their work in keeping the facility operational for three decades and also praised Waters Edge for their work as well.

“Very knowledgeable, there wasn’t hesitation about answering our questions,” Fairbanks said. “They can show us what worked in other communities, but also what dint work in other communities. Just wanted to give you a little pat on the back there.”

While all this may be exciting, City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer reemphasizes that this could still be down the road, as the city works through the funding.

“Unfortunately, right now it’s one of those things where we get everything lined up,” Tempelmeyer said. “Planning ahead, putting together some pricing, then we can work on finding funding sources…. We could then be ready to break ground in a couple of years, but right now we’re just finding out what it’s going to take to do it.”