For years now, the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation has warned of the need to renovate Starvaggi Memorial Pool in order for it to continue for generations to come.

The proverbial can was kicked down the road by various city administrations, most of whom cited a lack of funding or simply not feeling the project was a priority.

Finally, some officials took the need seriously enough to pledge approximately $1 million, and the efforts to come up with a design began.

Parks officials had hoped the renovations could begin this summer, so much so that they initially decided to go ahead and close the pool in mid-July to begin the process.

A few hiccups arose, though, leading to that closing being delayed into early August, and now, another stumbling block – but a familiar one – has come around.

Six companies expressed interest, but the board received just two bids to renovate the pool, with plans to replace the existing pool vessel, filtration system, plumbing, decking area and more. Only one of those bids was found to be qualified, and, unfortunately, it was four times what the board had budgeted.

That leaves board members with, essentially, two options: Put the project off while they try to get another $3 million together, knowing costs are going to continue to increase, or go back to the drawing board and reconfigure the project to be done in phases.

The latter seems to be the approach being taken here, which means that at least some of the work should be done and ready to serve area residents by next summer.

The rest will have to be taken up in the future, but that is something the Weirton Park Board has become accustomed to.

Whether it’s been improvements to Marland Heights Park, where a new restroom and lighting recently were unveiled; the playground at Starvaggi Park, which is in the third phases of its own renovations; or the south wall remediation at the Millsop Community Center, which has been a multi-year effort, a phased approach has been necessary for every major project undertaken in recent years.

It’s a shame, and a sign of just how neglected parks in Weirton have been over the decades. No matter the effort, it all seems to come up short, and now members of the board and other city officials are left trying to play catch-up.

Better options will need to be explored in the future.