Pool talk at standstill


Thursday, June 21, 2007
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Pool talk at standstill

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

Photo by Sue Watson

Swimming pool inspection
Aldermen Naylond Hayes and Nancy Hutchens inspect the condition of the pool during the board’s tour June 5.

The Holly Springs mayor and board of aldermen are at a standstill on what to do with the West Valley Street swimming pool.

Two problems have stood in the way of opening the pool last year and again this year - insurance and making repairs to areas of concrete surrounding the pool that are sloughing off.

The board, at the mayor’s suggestion, broke off the June 5 board meeting before going into executive session to take a tour of the aging facility.

Alderman Naylond Hayes has urged the mayor each year since 2005 to fix the pool and reopen it for the summer so the youth in the area can learn to swim. Hayes at one time was a lifeguard and manager of the pool facility and believes strongly it should be restored and kept open in the summer.

But insurance now requires lifeguards to be trained by Red Cross certified water safety instructors. Only one qualified lifeguard responded to an advertisement several weeks ago, and the pool needs a minimum of three, DeBerry said, for insurance purposes.

The mayor also didn’t want to invest more money into the facility. Cities are moving away from pools in their recreational programs and toward waterparks, he said. Several years ago the mayor said he would rather see money invested in a waterpark at Coopwood Park.

Hayes has said that the city waits too late in the season to look for lifeguards and insurance and to make repairs to the pool.

A faulty water circulating pump was repaired last year but too late to open the pool for the season. The pool was filled but without insurance and lifeguards it was not opened for the 2006 season.

Some aldermen think repairing the pool is too expensive and insurance premiums too costly to justify so little expected use by the public.

But Hayes said the pool is important for the youth to have activities during the summer months.

After the tour of the pool, the topic was left on the table.

In school district matters, the board of aldermen accepted the resignation of school board trustee Martha Thomas and the verbal intent to resign of trustee Alonzo McClinton.

The board then took care of other items of business:

approved an application for a CAP loan for $525,000 for the purchase of the WENCO building at the Holly Springs Industrial Park. The city will then offer the building for lease purchase to Cash In Transit, an expanding local company that builds armored vehicles.
accepted the resignation of Landy Hurdle, director of building and grounds.
authorized the chief of police to hire an officer to serve as court officer. The officer would help collect delinquent fines for those the municipal judge has put on payment schedules for the retirement of fines. Fees for collection would be cut in half thus reducing the burden on the defendant. And the fees would go to pay the salary of the police officer, according to chief Robert Pearson.

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