WHAT ABOUT NEXT YEAR?: Pools Are Closed In Gravette And Decatur

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.

Decatur

In Decatur, the city council voted to close the pool in February, after financial reports showed the city pool lost more than $8,000 in the summer of 2008 and $9,000 in the summer of 2009.

Decatur’s pool was built in the 1970’s and has seen many busy seasons, but in the past few years it has faced a lack of attendance and a lack of interest, the council agreed at the February meeting. The lifeguard reported that on most days only a handful of people would come to swim.

Many parents buy inexpensive above ground pools for their backyards or go to larger facilities like the Siloam Springs Water Park, councilwoman Linda Martin observed.

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

While it is free to swim at Crystal Lake, with deep water and no lifeguard the safety is questionable. 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. The council would just need to vote to reopen it in the future.

Gravette

Declining revenue, fewer swimmers and pool maintenance were 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 is true of 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 department affected by declining sales tax revenues and the slowing economic condition. Every city department has been forced to adjust their budgets, according to Mayor Bill Howard.

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

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

News, Pages 1 on 06/23/2010