Pools closed for summer

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

— School is out and summer vacation is in full swing, but both the Gravette and Decatur city swimming pools sit quietly, with gates locked and heavy covers over the water.

Both towns closed their pools this year, leaving parents in the northwest corner of Benton County no choice but to drive to Bentonville or Siloam Springs to take their children to a public swimming pool.

Declining revenue and fewer swimmers were listed as two reasons Gravette's swimming pool is closed this season- the first time since it was built in 1970 as part of the Civic Center complex project.

After generating less than $6,000 in revenue last year compared with more than $17,000 in expenses, the hard decision was made by the council to close the pool.

City records show the pool has never been completely self-supporting as are most city pools, particularly in small towns, because of the cost of required staffing and maintenance. An estimated cost of some $40,000 involving sandblasting, painting, replacing diving and other equipment and filtering system repairs were all major factors.

The pool was not the only city department affected by declining sales tax revenues and the slowing economic condition. Every city department has been forced to adjust its budget, according to Mayor Bill Howard.

Many families now have their own small pools, and Spavinawcreek, the lake at Sulphur Springs, Crystal Lake provide swimming sites as well as pools in several nearby cities.

In Decatur, the city council voted to close the pool in February, after more than a year of deliberation.

The council first considered closing the pool in the early spring of 2009, when financial reports showed the pool lost more than $8,000 in the summer of 2008. They decided to keep it open one more year on a trial basis, but when thepool lost more than $9,000 in the summer of 2009, the council made the difficult decision to close the pool.

Decatur’s pool was built in the 1970s and has seen many busy seasons, but attendance has been down in the past few years. Lifeguards reported that on most days only a handful of people would come to swim, and on some days the pool closed early because there weren’t any swimmers.

Mayor Bill Montgomery pointed out there is usually a large number of swimmers at Crystal Lake on a hot summer day.

It could be possible for the Decatur pool to reopen in the future. Public works director James Boston said the pool itself is in good shape and has a good cover. If there was interest from the public, the council could simply vote to re-open it.

In Gravette, the city is in the process of applying for a state grant to make therepairs needed to make the facility acceptable and meet safety and health requirements. Unless such funds are approved or unless city revenues take an unexpected upturn, there may be more dry pool summers for Gravette children, officials have indicated.

News, Pages 1 on 06/23/2010