Groups discuss Plaza Pool’s future
Crystal NelsonThe future of Plaza Pool is cloudy at best. Whether and how to keep it open has been a point of discussion for both the Alpena County Board of Commissioners and Alpena Public Schools Board of education.
Members of the finance committes for both entities met Wednesday morning to discuss possibilities of keeping Plaza Pool afloat.
Commissioner Bill Estlack, member of the finance committee, asked the school district's finance committee if it would be willing to continue to sustain funding of the pool over the next three years until Director Brandy Norton could come up with the funding on her own. Estlack said APS spends approximately $63,000 on the pool's utilities each year.
In order to keep the pool available for the public, he asked if the school district could cover 75 percent of the utility costs this year, 50 percent second year and 25 percent the third year.
"If we went down to 75 percent of what your original cost is, we think we could get by," he said.
Estlack said that would help the county be able to get by, adding that if the county cannot run Plaza Pool, a reversion clause in the pool's deed would give APS ownership.
Superintendent Brent Holcomb said the issue really isn't a pool issue so much as a state of Michigan economic issue.
"Politically we're in a rock and a hard place of which has nothing to do of our own making. This again, is a state issue," he said. "I don't see anything happening in Lansing that's going to give us any type of salvation so if we don't control what we can control locally - at least within the school budget - we're kind of stuck.
The district's usage agreement with the county expires in June. The district could cut the $63,000 paid in utilities and save an additional $25,000 if it cut the high school swimming team.
Estlack said the county also is working on a youth and recreation millage that would be on the ballot during the primary elections in August. While a portion of the funding could be used to help create a stable source of funding for Plaza Pool, the millage also would provide other recreational opportunities and activities for youth like 4-H or the local soccer or basketball leagues.
The millage is still in the works but the county's finance committee will discuss it further during its next meeting March 17.
Crystal Nelson can be reached via e-mail at cnelson@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693.
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normanlake
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03-11-10 5:13 PM
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I believe we could keep the pool open by eliminating extraneous principals at the high school. I understand we have FOUR of them presently, at 100,000 plus per year. Most of us adults in the community remember a time when there were more students and only ONE principal. I would like it explained to us why this is now the norm. Principals are mostly figureheads, and not really teachers.Keep the pool open. It is more needed than too many 'chiefs'.
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