On the evening of Friday, October 23, the indoor pool at The Pointe turns into what the City of Ballwin's registration page calls an "aquatic pumpkin patch." Kids swim out to pick a pumpkin, decorate it on the deck and compete for a People's Choice award. Then everyone gets a free swim in a glowing pool. It's the first big public event in the pool since a summer renovation closed it. The new children's play structure will be in most of the photos.
The renovation paid for more than the play structure. According to the City's own staff report, about half of the money went to that structure. The other half went to plaster, plumbing, a boiler and a set of sensors. Those parts won't show up in any Halloween photo, and they were bought for the colder months ahead.
Where the $605,000 Went
A January 12, 2026 staff report to the Board of Aldermen put the whole indoor pool project at $605,000. A $575,000 grant covered most of it, and the City added a $30,000 match. The contracts in that report add up to $603,905:
| Work | Contractor | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Aquatic play unit | Landmark Aquatic | $306,000 |
| Pebble Tec pool resurfacing | Schilli Plastering | $134,770 |
| Shower hot and cold lines, mixing valves | Merlo Plumbing | $63,712 |
| New pool boiler | Jarrell Mechanical Contractors | $36,781 |
| Water circulation sensors | Veregy | $31,842 |
| Locker room epoxy flooring | Technicoat Industrial Floor Coatings | $30,800 |
The play unit accounts for $306,000, just over half the total. The other five contracts add up to $297,905. Every one of those five deals with the water's temperature, the pool's surface or the locker rooms around it.
The Half Nobody Will Photograph
The staff report says why the boiler is there. A new boiler "will be installed to resolve heating issues with the indoor pool during the winter months." Jarrell already handles the City's HVAC maintenance and repair. The City treated it as the only realistic installer because it has worked so long with The Pointe's specific water circulation system.
The sensors serve the same goal. CTS, now known as Veregy, custom-designed the pool's circulation system, and several sensors in it "no longer work properly." The report calls the replacements critical. The new sensors give staff accurate data so they can "better regulate pool temperatures during seasonal fluctuations." Taken together, the boiler and sensors cost $68,623, roughly a ninth of the budget. They're aimed at the comfort problem a pool runs into in a St. Louis winter.
The rest of the hidden half is surface work. Schilli Plastering is the only licensed Pebble Tec installer in the St. Louis area, according to the report. The City still put the job out to bid in case another plaster product made sense, and no bids came in. The work involved hydroblasting the old surface, making repairs and recoating the pool. In the locker rooms, new hot and cold lines and mixing valves are meant to make shower temperatures "more comfortable for members and guests." The floors were refinished with epoxy.
The work also happened in stages. In January, West Newsmagazine reported that the City hoped to have the boiler and sensor work running by March, with the other pool work planned for August. Parks and Recreation Director Chris Conway told the paper the upgrades came in under budget. The pool then closed starting Monday, July 27, for at least four weeks. The City's indoor pool page now says the pool has reopened and posts a schedule labeled "as of 9/17."
The Half Designed by a Survey
The $306,000 play unit is the part residents had a say in. The structure was custom-designed by Vortex, a manufacturer of aquatic play units, together with Landmark Aquatic, a local aquatics contractor. The staff report says its design elements are "a direct response" to a survey of the Pointe indoor pool that Parks and Recreation staff ran in summer 2025. The City bought it through a purchasing cooperative, which means the product and installation had already been competitively bid before Ballwin signed on.
That explains why October's programming centers on the structure. It's the part of the project people can see and play on. The City's October newsletter announced the reopening by pointing straight to the "brand new kids play structure."
October Puts Both Halves to Work
The month's calendar runs through The Pointe at #1 Ballwin Commons Circle. Several events build on each other:
- Pumpkin sign pickup, through October 9. The Great Pumpkin Sign Decorating Contest sells $5 pumpkin yard signs at The Pointe from September 28 through October 9. Residents decorate them with paint, glitter, lights or anything else.
- Signs due, October 19. Finished signs go back to The Pointe by October 19 to be part of the Pumpkin Walk display.
- Pumpkin Walk, October 19 through 27. Visitors stroll the display and vote in five categories: Most Creative, Spookiest Pumpkin, Funniest Pumpkin, Best Use of Materials and People's Choice.
- Halloween Hullabaloo, Friday, October 23, 5:30 to 8 p.m. The Hullabaloo is free, open to the public and needs no registration. It includes crafts, games, a chili tasting and live entertainment. The Pointe's regular hours end at 3:30 p.m. that day to make room for it.
- Glow Pumpkin Plunge, same night, same hours. This one runs in the renovated pool and is for ages 10 to 14. The City encourages pre-registration to guarantee your child gets a pumpkin.
- Winners announced, October 30.
The City describes the plunge this way:
"Enjoy a spooky evening plunging into our aquatic pumpkin patch! Participants will have a chance to swim and select a pumpkin of their own to decorate!"
The plunge happens in late October, as the weather turns. A warm pool on that night depends on the new boiler and sensors from the hidden half of the budget, while the new play structure is what the kids will see.
The Same Approach, Across Town
The pool isn't the only behind-the-scenes Ballwin project getting a public showing this month. On Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, the City is holding an open house for its newly redone Public Works facility and its new Parks Maintenance facility. Visitors can see the City's trucks and equipment, decorate a pot, plant a seed and do a fall craft.
That project cost $4.4 million, about seven times the pool budget. The City says it was paid for from the infrastructure fund, with no impact on the general fund reserve, no debt and no new tax. The Public Works building dates to 1968 and the Parks Maintenance building to 1984. Both had run out of space and were deteriorating. The redesign added covered canopy and vehicle storage to help the City's current vehicles last longer and to protect stored materials.
The two projects follow the same pattern. Much of the money goes to systems that keep things running, like a boiler, circulation sensors and covered storage for trucks. The City then holds a public event so residents can see what they paid for.
Two more dates are worth adding to the calendar. Curbside leaf collection starts October 26 for most residents served by the City's contracted waste hauler. The City notes that routes may shift and collection days aren't guaranteed. The Pointe is closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26.
A Ballwin home sells the same way the Pointe renovation was built. Buyers see the finished, photo-ready spaces, while the systems behind the walls hold up their offer through inspection. The team at Show + Sell STL prepares and markets listings with both in mind. If you're curious what your Ballwin home would be worth today, Get Your Free Home Valuation.
