HANCEVILLE — The swimming pool at Hanceville’s C.W. Day Park may one day give way to a very different sort of water feature — a splash pad — thanks to increasing maintenance costs and changing user preferences, according to city officials.

The Hanceville City Council agreed Tuesday to commission an assessment that would explore the cost of replacing the aging pool facility with a splash pad, citing an increasing black algae problem at the pool that’s all but inescapable in a structure that’s close to 40 years old.

Hanceville Park and Recreation Director Ashely Dye said exchanging the pool for a splash pad could save the city more than $1,000 per month in chlorine treatment costs alone.

“We budget $30,000 for the pool for the year, and that’s really just for that three-month timeframe that it’s open when school’s out,” said Dye. “This could save $1,000 or more each month over the maintenance cost of the pool right now.”

Council member Kim Brown said chlorine treatments at the pool are currently costing the city an average of $1,500 per month.

Dye also said a splash pad could attract heavier use from the young people in the 6-8 year-old demographic who currently use the pool.

“Honestly, if we go that route, it’s like we’re renewing with the times, in a way,” said Dye. “I do think that some people might view removing the pool as a loss, but I think it’s an upgrade that’ll be beneficial for the age group that visits the park in general.”

The council agreed to invite Hobbs Architectural Fountain of Atlanta to assess the potential cost of installing a splash pad at the park, at no cost to the city. Dye said the council has enough time, should it choose, to act on the matter so that installation of a splash pad could be finished ahead of the park’s busy summer season.

In other business at its regular meeting Tuesday, the council:

Discussed, but took no action on, revising the current method whereby council members approve bills payable and authorize the city clerk to issue payments. Current practices, said various council members, have resulted in the incurring of late fees, as many payments are slow to process by mail rather than online. Council member Sharon Porter said the matter will reappear on the agenda sometime near the first of next year.

Approved a cost-free feasibility study for widening the pavement and revising the subsurface drainage pattern for a half-mile stretch of Shady Lane between Alabama Highway 91 and the Hanceville city limits. Any changes to the road or drainage structures would have to be made under the 2018-2019 fiscal year budget, which begins in October of next year.

The net regular council meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14, with a work session immediately preceding at 6 p.m.