PORT ANGELES — The future of the William Shore Memorial Pool will be at stake on Tuesday evening.
Save the Pool PA will make its pitch to the City Council that it is raising enough funds to keep the pool open from April through June, and the council, based on that information, will determine if it wants to take the final steps toward funding a special election for the formation of a metropolitan park district.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
The district, if approved by a simple majority of voters within its proposed boundary, would make up a gap in pool revenue and expenses between $350,000 and $400,000 through a property tax levy.
The city will stop making up that gap through its general fund at the end of March to save money in a tight budget year.
If formed within the same boundaries of the Port Angeles School District — as Save the Pool PA is recommending — the district would need to levy about 12 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, or $24 a year on a $200,000 home, to make up that difference.
Richard Bonine, deputy parks director, said the pool, which opened in May 1962, is in good shape.
“Our maintenance man, after doing a once-over, feels very comfortable of how all of the system is operating,” he said. “We have no immediate concerns.”
The pool was expected to last for 40 years.
Save the Pool PA also will recommend that the City Council and Clallam County Commission, which both have to approve resolutions to fund a special election, place a cap on the amount the park district could levy.
Without a limit, it could levy 75 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation by state law.
The City Council decided in December to fund the pool operations through March, while it and the Clallam County Commission consider approving funding for a special election.
But if a special election is held, Save the Pool PA has to come up with the funds for the next three months while approval of a park district is brought before voters.
The group recommends that a special election be held in May.
The Port Angeles City Council, facing budget constraints, announced last September that the pool would close at the end of 2008 unless it believed that a plan could be implemented to make up the funding gap, which has been covered by the city’s general fund.
Big surprise
Earlier this month, Save the Pool PA said it had raised about $30,000, which is a third of what it needs to fund the pool from April through June.
But Krista Winn, group chairwoman, said a local business has given the group a “significant donation” for funding the pool that will be revealed during her presentation to City Council on Tuesday.
“We’re pretty much excited about this large donation that was made,” she said. “It takes some stress off.”
Winn said she is hoping for a big turnout of people who support saving the pool at the meeting Tuesday.
“What we need this Tuesday night is to show that the support from the community is still there,” she said.
“It should have a huge impact on the City Council.”
At the meeting, Winn also will present Save the Pool PA’s recommendations on the details of a park district.
They include:
•âÇPlacing a cap on the amount the district, if approved with a simple majority, could levy.
•âÇHaving the district’s boundaries be the same as the Port Angeles School District.
•âÇHaving Clallam County and the city of Port Angeles split the cost of a special election in half.
•âÇHolding an election in May.
•âÇHaving an appointed district board of City Council and Clallam County commission members that would work closely with a citizen’s advisory committee.
With these recommendations, a special election would cost an estimated $60,500.
Joint meeting?
A joint City Council and Clallam County commission work session on the topic of funding a special election and sorting out the details of a park district has yet to be rescheduled.
Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman and county Administrator Jim Jones will be present at the Tuesday meeting to answer questions from the City Council.
One of the issues to be discussed is whether the city and county would split the cost of a special election in half, or if the city would pay about 60 percent as the county has proposed.
The joint work session was delayed earlier this month so that City Manager Kent Myers, who began the job last Monday, could be present.
On his first day on the job, Myers attended a Save the Pool PA meeting at the Olympic Medical Center.
“It was fantastic that he was taking the time to come,” Winn said.
“He was very supportive of our idea and is an excellent listener.”
At that meeting, the group finalized its recommendations that Winn will present to the City Council on Tuesday.
“It went really well,” she said. “We had a lot of people there.
“Everyone was pretty much in unanimous agreement that this is the way to go.”
Fundraisers
Winn said that a fundraiser for the pool sponsored by Save the Pool PA has about 26 teams that are planning to enter rescue relays scheduled at the pool at 4 p.m. Jan. 24.
Teams of four can register for $100. Registration forms can be printed from the city’s Web site, www.savethepoolpa.com.
Winn said she encourages teams to turn in their registration forms before the event.
Winn said the group is receiving an autographed item from U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps for its dinner and silent auction at 5 p.m. Feb. 21 at 7 Cedars Casino.
She said she has been in contact with Phelps’ agent but does not know what the item will be.
Other fundraisers in the works:•
•âÇLonely H benefit concert, date to be announced.
•âÇMovie night at a local theater, date to be announced.
•âÇIt’s Time for a Change, which will include placing donation jars at Port Angeles businesses.
Winn can be contacted at 360-457-0308 or weegiewinn@gmail.com.
________
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
