SEQUIM — The Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center board voted unanimously to terminate the contract with its executive director and took other measures Thursday to prepare for the facility’s indefinite closure beginning today.
The exercise center at 610 N. Fifth Ave., known as SARC, will close at 8 p.m.
The facility is closing because of a lack of funds, board members have said.
Passes that users have purchased will not be refunded immediately but will be placed in suspension until all avenues of reopening have been exhausted, the board has said.
The facility could reopen if a potential partnership with the Clallam County Family YMCA materializes, Frank Pickering, board chairman, has said.
During Thursday’s meeting, the board also authorized disposal of personal property and cancellation of a certificate of deposit.
‘Without cause’
The contract SARC held with Scott Deschenes, executive director, was terminated “without cause,” which means Deschenes was not terminated for any action on his part.
“It was not his fault,” Pickering said.
“The board gave him a charge to manage the business end of the facility, to attempt to keep 80 percent of our cost covered by fees, and 20 percent . . . covered by taxpayer money — in this case reserves — which were being depleted.”
The termination is effective upon closure of the facility today.
Deschenes remained upbeat after the vote and said he would stick it out until the end.
“I think I owe it” to SARC users “to keep providing services” as long as possible, he said.
“We are going to do what we can to keep things going.”
Deschenes said he also wants to be there to support his employees, who have done “such a great job.”
Property
Equipment owned by SARC may be sold off in the near future to help generate money to maintain the facility once it is mothballed, Deschenes said.
The type of equipment to be sold has not yet been determined, he said.
“We just don’t know yet. We don’t want to rush into judgment. We want to make sure we are making the right kind of decisions.”
Certificate of deposit
“The [county] treasurer holds all our funds,” Pickering said.
“The treasurer invested in a First Federal CD. First Federal is apparently agreeing . . . to waive any penalties.”
All of that money will immediately go into the SARC account and will be available for closing expenses, he said.
Closing costs will be about $140,000, Deschenes said.
Information about how much the CD is worth was not immediately available.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
