URBANA — Park district officials in Urbana are working around new obstacles to complete planning for an aquatic center at Crystal Lake Park.

They still believe, however, that they'll be able to begin construction next spring and open the facility in May 2013.

"The timeline doesn't appear to be a problem," park board vice president Nancy Delcomyn said, "and I know we'll keep the public apprised of changes. I don't think any of us are concerned. We're pretty excited about the progress."

In recent months the park district has learned that planned features at the pool wouldn't be approved by the state department of public health and that an aging sanitary sewer system in north Urbana will require a more expensive filter system at the aquatic center.

On the other hand, the park district has new hopes of getting a $400,000 state grant to allow it to meet the original $7.7 million budget target for the center.

Issues with the public health department are proving to be the most nettlesome, said Tim Bartlett, the park district's superintendent of operations.

"It will be the biggest challenge we have in the entire project, cost and everything else aside," he said. "But they're looking out for the public health and interest and safety so we'll work with them."

Public health has already said that a planned feature at the aquatic center — a "concrete tree" with a rope swing at one of the facility's six water basins — won't be allowed.

"They're very, very, very stringent in pool design. Illinois is a pretty stringent state because some of these features have been accepted in other states," Bartlett said.

The new plan is to install what Bartlett called "an arched climbing wall that leans out over the pool." It's already been permitted at another Illinois pool and "it is something for the teen and preteen age group that still has a little thrill to it."

A plan to install a concrete play structure with slides in what is known as the upper leisure pool for young children also has been eliminated.

"That product hadn't been out too long and we were concerned about our freeze-thaw cycles that might crack up the structure and become a maintenance concern," he said. "So we're going to go with a more tried and true steel and fiberglass play structure that will have slides and things. We want more play features. There should be at least a dozen things for kids to twist and squirt and play and slide on. We want the highest play value for the dollar."

Officials also have decided that a "sprayground" for children that will be outside the aquatic center's gates but part of the complex will have a "naturalistic" theme.

"It will fit in with the whole Crystal Lake Park scene," Bartlett said. "It will be more of a cascading, stairstep streambed that will be more natural. I think it also will help with some of the neighbors' concerns about brightly colored visual clutter. We're trying to fit it in with the site and take advantage of the great trees in the park and Busey Woods next door."

A more mundane issue is how to handle waste water at the pool.

"There's a pretty old sanitary infrastructure in this section of Urbana and it has limited capacity, meaning we have to work with the sanitary district in developing a design that their plant can manage," Bartlett said.

Instead of using an ordinary high rate sand filter system — which can generate large volumes of waste water — the park district will opt for what is known as a regenerative media system that uses less water but which costs more to install. Bartlett said the new system adds "a significant cost difference" upfront but will have reduced operating costs.

Park officials are hoping for some good news from the state Department of Natural Resources if and when it announces a new round of open space lands acquisition and development grants.

"This has really become a year-to-year program. Nobody knows if they're going to be funded" because of the state's fiscal problems, Bartlett said. "But they did announce that they are accepting applications. If there are dollars awarded we might have a shot. We have some advantages we learned after meeting with the IDNR staff. They encouraged us to apply."

Ideally, he said, officials will get word of the $400,000 grant before putting the aquatic center project out for bid, which they hope to do in early January in hopes of getting favorable construction costs.

"Then we'd know before February when we're going to start the project, what we're going to have and what the cost would be. It's to our advantage now to work like hell and get this pulled together now and make sure we're ready for the best opportunity," Bartlett said.

With the grant the park district would have a $7.7 million budget to build the aquatic center.

"If we do not get the grant we're probably looking at a maximum of $7.3 million to do all of the infrastructure at the northeast corner of he park, build a pool and get us back in business there."

Obstacles and construction issues aside, designing the aquatic center is "a blast," Bartlett said. "It's the kind of work you love doing because it's fun and exciting and it's going to be a neat thing. Urbana's going to love it. It will change Crystal Lake Park again and make it a real destination."

The project was OK'd by Urbana voters earlier this year when they approved an 11 cents per $100 of assessed valuation property tax increase to pay for the aquatic center. It will be built on the site of the first two Crystal Lake pools, the first of which was erected in 1927.