To the Editor:

As much as I would like for everyone to have a pool, I do not support the city’s current uncovered design. I believe the community would be better served by an enclosed pool offering year-round access.

The old pool was only operational for about 12 weeks out of 52 and averaging somewhere around 60 people a day. Imagine 40 more weeks of 60 people +/- using the pool for a variety of things … exercise classes, lap swims, swim meets, pool parties, swimming lessons, open swims, fundraisers, etc.

Let’s not forget about the revenue that being open those “extra” 40 weeks would generate, not just the pool itself, the meeting rooms could be booked for holiday parties, receptions, meetings, bazaars among other things.

And, as anyone who’s owned a hot tub will tell you, there are problems that come up almost every time they’re started up after sitting several months, so they keep them full and running all the time.

I’ve looked at the numbers and I don’t understand how $6 million wouldn’t/isn’t enough to build an enclosed pool. The tax bond is a percentage of value, so the real cost will climb as the value climbs.

In my opinion, an enclosed pool facility makes the most sense. Not only will it cost more to enclose it at a later date because it would require planning dollars, permitting dollars, inspection dollars, redesigning dollars, labor dollars, materials dollars and who knows what else. Not to mention the downtime during construction resulting in a loss of revenue.

Al Stein

John Day