Aldermen pursue new outdoor pool: City officials move forward on $2M project
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After the committee’s recommendation, members of the Finance Committee unanimously approved pursuing capital outlay notes to finance the estimated $2 million project and said the city’s administrative staff should seek conventional financing, but few details were provided. In general, capital outlay notes are paid off sooner than, for example, a general obligation bond.
While some proponents clapped after the committee’s decision, officials made it clear approval of the outdoor pool still must withstand a vote by the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen before it becomes reality.
Alderman and Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee Donald Hillis and Alderman Rickey Minton approved the motion, while Alderman Jimmy Bonner did not answer when the vote was called. Bonner later said he supports fixing the old pool for the short term.
Citizens were not allowed to speak during the committee meetings but were allowed five minutes each to speak during the regular session of the full board later. No one spoke to criticize the new outdoor pool proposal during the regular session Monday.
Paige Zemina, a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist in swimming and a city resident, told board members she grew up with access to a city pool and brought her medal to show swimming had a positive impact on her life. Boy Scout Troop 198 scout master Joe Smith wondered out loud what scouts would do for swimming this summer.
Smith urged aldermen to reconsider opening the pool this summer and brought a $100 check with him to support a donation drive called “Pennies for the Pool,” to get the pool operational for the short term.
Mayor Royce Davenport asked aldermen not to respond to comments or suggestions, saying the issue was not a public hearing, but Hillis later said the new outdoor pool is designed to be built partly where the old pool is currently located.
“We tried to get some type of swimming season this year, but after talking to all of the construction people, they said we were going to need all the time from now until the start of next year to get this pool completed. And there’s no way,” Hillis said. “We regret that, but I think you’re going to see the kids may be a little bit disappointed for one summer, but I believe you’re really going to see the enjoyment and a lot of smiles next year.”
Hillis said he was pleased with the committee’s action and said the new outdoor pool is designed to more easily accommodate the construction of a new indoor pool – if one is ever approved. That idea was tossed around several weeks ago after City Administrator Herb Llewellyn suggested the city-hired architect, who was in the process of designing indoor/outdoor aquatic center plans before the Jan. 24 bond referendum failed, include the potential for an indoor addition within designs for a new outdoor pool.
Hillis said a bond issue – the type of long-term financing defeated in January – would have been the cheapest way to finance the new outdoor pool.
“The bond issue would have been a lot cheaper, but now that we were forced to do another method of financing, it’s going to cost more money. I regret that,” Hillis said, but noted he didn’t know how much more it would be. “We’re going to shop for some interest rates in the next day or two and see where the best deal is we can get,” he added.
Before the committees’ decisions Monday, Parks and Recreation Director Carlene Brown made an extensive presentation, complete with a blueprint of the old pool and color-coded problem areas. The problems she presented included estimated price tags of $342,000 for “immediate” repairs and about $1.5 million for “comprehensive” repairs as identified by city-hired engineering consultants who were brought on board to perform a facility audit and design an aquatic center about three years ago.
The engineers’ recommendations go beyond the estimated $5,000 in “critical items” previously identified by Warren County Health Inspector Donald Page, which Brown has estimated at $5,000.
Brown advised aldermen new construction would take about one year and indicated construction and demolition should begin as soon as possible to avoid interference with next year’s swim season. Officials said they would like to do as much of the demolition work as possible through the Public Works Department.