CANYON CITY — Sixteen unopened ballots are holding up certification of the pool bond vote.

The ballots are being challenged by County Clerk Brenda Percy due to signatures on the ballot envelopes not matching signatures found on voter registration cards.

All 16 of the challenged ballots are from within the pool tax district and would be enough to swing the vote on Measure 12-80, which is currently failing by a six-vote margin. This leaves Percy unable to certify the results of the pool bond vote until the challenged ballots are resolved.

Percy said signature challenges are routine in every election and that the signatures are merely being challenged and aren’t “suspicious.” Every voter with a ballot being challenged will get a letter from Percy with instructions on how to correct the issue. If the signature issue isn’t corrected, the ballots will remain unopened.

The last day to correct challenge issues is Tuesday, June 7. The official and final vote count will come Wednesday, June 8. The count as of Tuesday, May 24, was 798 votes against the bond measure and 792 votes in favor.

Voters were asked to weigh in on a $4 million pool bond in the May 17 election. If approved, the bond would add 70 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to property tax bills inside the John Day/Canyon City Parks & Recreation District.

The passage of the bond would allow the district to move forward with the construction of an aquatic center that would be located at the Seventh Street Sports Complex in John Day.

The increased tax would be in effect for the life of the bond, which is expected to be 20 years.

The district includes the cities of John Day and Canyon City as well as some unincorporated areas around both communities. The boundary extends close to Mount Vernon in the west, nearly to Magone Lake in the north, close to Keeney Fork Road in the East and as far south as Starr Ridge. Voters who live within the parks and rec district were the only individuals eligible to vote on the bond measure.

Plans call for a six-lane, 25-yard outdoor pool to replace 64-year-old Gleason Pool. The design could be altered to enclose the building at a later date.

Gleason Pool has been closed for two years, and workers began demolishing it on Monday, May 23.

The $4 million bond would be combined with a $2 million state grant to go toward the pool’s estimated $6 million construction cost. The city has also applied for an additional $750,000 in grant funding to go toward construction of a warm-water exercise pool at the aquatic center.

An intergovernmental agreement between John Day and the parks and recreation district leaves the district responsible for operating and maintaining the aquatic center while the city would be responsible for covering utility costs incurred by the center.

The Parks and Recreation District Board voted 4-0 on Feb. 22 to put the bond on the ballot. The vote was held during a joint meeting with John Day’s city council. The council approved its own companion resolution by a vote of 6-0 during the Feb. 22 session.