The Bismarck Park Board meets today to talk about what to do with the Elks Pool, which was closed this summer due to mechanical problems.

The board has gotten public input as it looks at 11 options, ranging from a simple fix, for about $150,000, to a brand new pool for up to $2.5 million. During a public meeting last week, most people favored keeping a true-blue pool of some kind.

The Park Board will discuss the 72-year-old pool at 4:30 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation office at 400 E. Front Ave. The board hopes to make a decision so work can begin this fall and the facility can reopen next summer.

Separately, the Arts and Science Pavilion Project Board continues to search for a building for an arts, science and recreation center. Parks Director Steve Neu confirmed that the committee is looking at the Masonic Center, which is at 1810 Schafer St., near the Bismarck State College campus.

"We've been looking at several locations," Neu said. "There's some options."

Once a site is selected as a good possibility, the Bismarck Park Board would have to decide whether to buy it. Neu said the goal is to have "some options come to a head" this fall.

The Park Board had considered buying the former Palace Arms Hotel for an arts and science center, but ultimately decided against it. The Palace Arms was 125,000 square feet, but the committee is looking at a scaled-down version now. The Masonic Center is a much smaller building, with a basement.

Al Van Voorhis, executive secretary of the Masonic Center, said the building is too big and expensive for the Masons, whose membership has dropped considerably over the years. But he declined to comment on a potential sale while negotiations are under way.