December 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 73

st. Paul Pool turning Green
A Pool Replacement Project Brings Environmental Upgrades

Wo Yea rS ago, the
pool at Como Park in St.
Paul, Minnesota, had to be
demolished. Extensive
structural, mechanical,
and electrical issues plagued the aging pool, which also lacked ADA compliance. " It was basically duct-taped
together to keep operational, " Brad Meyer of St. Paul Parks and Recreation says.
" We had to start fresh. "
Starting over provided an opportunity to work with community members to
design a pool complex that would meet
the area's needs, fit naturally into the
park landscape and neighborhood, and
be more energy efficient. Some of the
ideas proposed, such as a solar heating
system for the pool, were going to be a
reach for the park agency. That's when
the state's Legacy Fund stepped in with
a $150,000 grant that helped make their
vision a reality. Funded through a sales
tax Minnesota voters approved in 2008,
Legacy Fund grants include Energy
Legacy Grants for solar power projects.

Meyer says that without the grant, the solar system may not have been fi nancially
possible.
The solar heating technology being
utilized at the new Como Regional Park
Pool will provide hot water for the bathrooms, showers, and concessions, along
with providing heat for the year-round
administrative portion of the bathhouse.
The solar panels being proposed are a
vacuum tube system that consists of a
thin copper tube with a heating baffle.
The copper tube is fi lled with 1.5 ounces
of water and is sealed within the vacuum
tube. As the sun heats the vacuum tube,
the solar energy is directly transferred
to the baffle, heating the copper tube up
to 270 degrees F and causing the water
within the tube to turn to steam. This
steam then transfers its heat energy to
water that is circulating within the building. When the steam releases its energy,
it then returns to water, and the process
repeats itself. The heated circulated water is then sent to the showers, sinks, and
furnaces within the building. The solar

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panels will cut the heating load for the
domestic water and building heating by
up to 60 percent.
Along with the solar heating system,
other environmentally friendly features
of the new pool complex will include occupancy sensors for lighting efficiency,
low-flow fixtures for water efficiency,
skylights and use of natural light, highefficiency mechanical equipment, rain
gardens and infi ltration basins, native
plant species to minimize irrigation
needs, on-site chlorine generation for
pool sanitation, and variable frequency
drives on all pool pumps. Living sphagnum moss pool fi lters, like those already
in use in St. Paul's Oxford Community
Center and Highland Park Aquatic Center, will keep the water clear and clean
with reduced chemical usage.
The new pool will include a lap pool,
zero-depth recreational pool, zip line,
climbing wall, and a lazy river. Construction began in October 2010 and the
pool is expected to open for the summer of 2012.


DECEMBER 2010

Parks & Recreation 69

December 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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