PORT TOWNSEND ¬– Who will be to blame if the only public swimming pool in Jefferson County closes?
Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval says the burden will fall upon everyone.
The future of East Jefferson County’s only public swimming pool is uncertain because the city of Port Townsend and the Port Townsend School District can’t find a way to pay the utility bills.
As part of an agreement between the city and the district, the municipal swimming pool on the Mountain View Elementary School campus, 1919 Blaine St., is operated by the city on property owned by the school district.
The city is responsible for the funds to keep the pool running, but any bills from utility companies go directly to the school.
The current agreement has the city paying for up to $72,000 of the pool’s operating costs each year. Anything over that is paid by the school district.
At Monday’s meeting, School Board member Rita Bebee said that the city should pay for its own facility.
On Tuesday, Sandoval said the time for finger-pointing is over.
“This pool is a community resource,” Sandoval said.
“Now we all need to step up to the plate.”
Sandoval said that until the mid-1990s, the pool was a county facility.
When county officials determined that it could no longer pay for the rising costs of the pool’s operations, the city took on the burden.
“Without the city stepping in, that pool wouldn’t be here,” Sandoval said.
“Before that, it wasn’t even our responsibility.
“It bums me out when we get assailed on by the citizens, and now the school board, for not funding the pool.”
Board member
At Monday’s School Board meeting, Bebee suggested that the city should bear the burden alone and use the recently passed levy lid lift to fund the facility.
Revenues from the levy lid lift for the library will free money in the city general fund for operation of parks and recreational facilities — including the pool.
However, that money will not be collected until next April, leaving the pool without a source of funding until the next fiscal year.
As part of an agreement between the city and the school district, the city is responsible for paying to keep the pool running, but any bills from utility companies go directly to the school.
The district then bills the city for costs up to a fixed amount on a monthly basis.
Budgets, costs
The cost to keep the pool open from September until the end of December is being estimated as up to $35,000 above the amount originally budgeted by the city.
The soaring cost of utilities to heat the pool has been cited as the main reason for the shortfall.
This year, the overage was considered to be far too much for either agency to absorb, prompting City Manager David Timmons to request $5,000 each from the school district, the county, Jefferson Healthcare and Make Waves! to defray the overrun.
The city also pledged $5,000 toward the final bill.
The school board tentatively agreed to the $5,000 request, but board members are asking for a guarantee that the pool will remain open until the end of the year.
School Superintendent Tom Opstad said he will meet with city officials this week, likely today, to make sure they could provide such a guarantee.
Timmons said he could present such a request to the City Council but wouldn’t speculate on what decision would be made.
“I’m willing to take that to council, but if it’s only the school [giving $5,000] it’s going to be hard to justify,” Timmons said.
“We’re asking for a good-faith effort from the community to keep this going.
“[The pool] is an asset and it’s not just solely the city’s burden right now.
School board members also said they want to make sure other partners will be sending $5,000 the pool’s way.
“I think there are a number of reasons that this is a good idea,” said Bobby DuBois, school board member.
“I just don’t want to commit and then find out that everyone else has walked away.”
Make Waves!
Karen Nelson, a member of Make Waves!, said the citizens group will be forming an ad hoc committee of private citizens to raise its portion of the requested $5,000.
“I have every expectation we will be able to raise that,” Nelson told the School Board.
“We will be keeping the money in an escrow account until the end of the year and pay out contingent on the city keeping the pool open.”
The three county commissioners are still discussing whether or not they ill allocate the money. As of the commissioner meeting on Monday, no decision had been made.
Hospital commissioners will meet at 3 p.m. today. As yet, they have not discussed the $5,000 request.
Sandoval said that she understood the hesitation and the frustration, but hoped that the community could work together to save the pool.
“I understand and acknowledge where those comments came from,” Sandoval said.
“I totally get it, but our citizens are asking us to deal with this.
“Rather than turning in a circle and shooting each other, we need to work together.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
