In the two weeks the survey about Wake Forest’s swimming pool has been on the town’s website, 2,231 people have responded with votes and thoughtful comments, and 69 percent of them agree or strongly agree that it is important to their family that the town have a pool while 83 percent agree or strongly agree that it is important to the community that Wake Forest have a community swimming pool. And while only 41 percent of respondents (and only 1,205 answering the questions) said the town pool met their needs for water recreation, 59 percent said they would support a bond issue to pay for an indoor aquatics facility.
With that kind of resident support plus Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources Director Ruben Wall’s recommendation that the town build a new Holding Park Pool, the town board informally agreed Tuesday night to spend $950,000 or $1 million or perhaps more to dig out the existing 50-meter pool and replace it. Some of the finer points – should it be 50 meters or smaller, should there be a large diving area with diving board, should there be a larger shallow area to accommodate more swimming lessons – were left unresolved.
The board was emphatic, however, that all efforts should be directed toward making sure the new pool will open for the swim season in 2017. Holding Park Pool has been closed all summer because a pre-season inspection found a serious leak and walls that needed replastering and repainting. Then the contractors hired to correct the problems found even more troubling conditions: walls in poor shape, crumbling mortar. The analysis reported in August included three possible actions that were to rebuild the pool walls for $250,000-260,000; build a new pool inside the existing pool for $600,000-650,000; or build a new pool at the site. The commissioners delayed voting on any pool solution during their Aug. 19 summer retreat but asked for the survey.
Wall said his recommendation to build a new pool was based on the real fear that pipes under the floor of the pool or other hidden equipment could fail if they tried to patch up the existing pool in either way. He noted that the present pool has had about a 40-year life as did the earlier pool. The first pool was built in 1942 with town and WPA funding. It was totally replaced by the larger existing pool in 1976, that time with federal funding.
Mayor Vivian Jones said it is “totally unacceptable” that the town not have a pool and suggested committing a million of the bond money voters approved for the second phase of Joyner Park.
Later Finance Director Aileen Staples said she would immediately begin renegotiating the loan for pool repairs to add the one million. “We get the money quicker that way.”
“A million dollars is not going to do this,” Commissioner Margaret Stinnett said, noting that it has been her experience on the board that projects usually end up costing more than the initial estimates. “You might as well go and give them the leeway for the higher amount.”
“I don’t want to take anything away from Joyner,” Commissioner Jim Thompson said.
Commissioner Anne Reeve suggested building a dome over the pool so it can be used year round.
“I was an opponent of doing anything at the retreat,” Commissioner Brian Pate said, “but then Margaret asked the question (if the town should be in the pool business) and the answer (from the survey) was a resounding yes.” He said town staff should work quickly on the new pool. “Do it expeditiously.”
“I’m very impressed, really taken aback, by the way people took time to think about this (the survey). They gave us thoughtful responses to this.” She noted that many who think the town should have a pool either do not use the town pool or belong to another pool. She read all the responses.
The existing pool has had two recent rounds of repairs and renovations. In 2001-2002 the work, except for the replacement of the diving board and stand, was mostly invisible to users: replastering the walls, repairing expansion joints, replacing skimmer units and the like. The cost was $139,965.
Between 2013 and 2015 the work was more extensive and expensive at $800,000. Half of that was to renovate the restroom. The rest was spent to resurface the pool deck, replace pump room equipment, add an ADA step in the pool, install a new diving stand, add a new slide with water and paint the pool surface
4 Responses
A town swimming pool is predominantly used by people that will not pay taxes (children and teens) and who do not live in a subdivision with its own pool. Town pools are not meant to pay for themselves but are meant to provide a place for children to learn to swim and have a place to go in the summer when school is out, It is an excellent use of tax payers money. Kids swimming are not going to be out in the neighborhood causing problems or sitting in a closed house getting no fresh air or exercise.
No to the pool palace – and the resulting additional “tax” to pay for it. Please don’t make a premature decision before the survey deadline!
From reading this and other Town Board minutes, Commissioner Margaret Stinnett seems to be the only commissioner mindful of being a good steward of the public’s money. Thank you Ms. Stinnett.
Generally in any survey that is voluntary you get mostly those in favor of the act to vote. Those who have no interest simply don’t vote so that alone skews the results. If you have to “find” a survey then the results are skewed more as those against often will not make the extra effort. This may be another tax increase that approximately 1500+/- want but so many more will have to pay for it.
The press release about the survey said it would be open until September 16. Does this mean that the survey is closed and the Board has made its decision before their own deadline? It seems unfair and premature to me if that’s the case.
The article implies that the Board’s collective mind is made up. Yet another bond issue coming our way? I moved here to get away from higher taxes covering things I won’t ever use or take part of.