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GREENSBORO — The city has shaved about $3 million off the cost of a planned competitive swim center at the Greensboro Coliseum, but construction will still cost $6 million more than the city has to spend.

By the end of the week, the city staff will recommend ways to make up the difference.

One option could include using hotel room taxes to pay for part of the center, a recommendation made by the Greensboro/Guilford County Tourism Development Authority.

“Our message was that the hospitality industry feels that this development is important enough that we may need to stretch or push a little bit to get it done,” said Henri Fourrier, CEO of the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Last year, voters approved a $12 million pool as part of a $20 million parks and recreation bond.

At the time, city staff estimated that a regional competition facility might cost upward of $15 million.

In May, the City Council decided that the money would be spent on a competitive swim center to be built at the coliseum.

A little more than $1 million has been spent on designing the center, which will include learn-to-swim and competition-size pools and a diving area.

The center will be used to attract major swim meets and local events.

When contractors bid on the project in October, the low bid was just shy of $20 million.

Since then, the city staff has worked with the low bidder, Shelco of Winston-Salem, to cut the cost.

Butch Simmons, the city engineering and inspections director, said engineers and staff members have made cosmetic changes, such as downgrading to less expensive building finishes inside and out and changing the type of heating and air conditioning planned for the building.

“The only thing we used as a guiding post was we didn’t want to impact the integrity of the design of the pool system so it could be used as a venue to host national meets,” coliseum director Matt Brown said.

City staff members are expected to provide funding options to the City Council by the end of the week.

City and county hotel tax revenue, which is split up to fund a variety of enterprises, including the visitors bureau, has been used to fund projects at the coliseum.

Some revenue is paying debt for coliseum renovations made in the 1990s, city finance director Rick Lusk said.

Fourrier said that about $500,000 a year is set aside in a capital fund that could be used to help pay for the aquatics center.

On Tuesday night, he asked the council to consider using that money.

The aquatics center could have an annual economic impact of $14.5 million, Fourrier said.

Council members have pressed to get the aquatics center built while the economy is in a lull and construction prices are lower.

“This probably is this community’s chance to build this facility,” Councilman Robbie Perkins said.

Simmons suggested that the center would escalate in price if the city does not take advantage of the lower costs during the economic downturn.

“I just don’t want us to miss an opportunity to have this facility here which will bring championship tournaments,” Mayor Yvonne Johnson said.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com