City: indoor pool would be a financial drain

Although many advocated for an indoor pool during Wednesday's meeting the Sidney pool committee chose an outdoor pool location that will allow for future expansion.

The city council has the final say in the matter, but the pool committee recommended the city construct the new outdoor pool south of Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp near the t-ball fields. The other two possible locations included new construction at the current pool site and a spot west of the city's current pool. Building at the current pool location was quickly nixed because there would be no swimming facilities available during construction.

"I don't think there are any of us here that are willing to go a year without a pool," said Charlotte Dorwart one of the coaches of the Sidney swim team.

The site near the t-ball fields would likely cost an additional $400,000 in order to pave the road to the pool and to construct a food path since there are no sidewalks in that area, according to Public Services Director John Hehnke.

The city plans to keep the old pool open while the new one is constructed. Sidney will pay for this project through a percentage of its half cent sales tax, enacted about a year ago. The tax is expected to collect around $3.5-$4 million for the pool.

Updated conceptual plans for the outdoor pool include a competition pool, a zero entry pool, a slide, a lazy river and a splash pad. These plans would require five lifeguards on duty at all times.

The current conceptual plans are estimated to cost $4.5 million, which is more than the city estimates it will collect in sales tax to pay for the project. Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston suggested reducing the amenities to the pool plans to save on cost and obtaining sponsors for some of the extras like the slide.

Repairs to the current pool, which was built in the 1970s, were nixed due to a cost of around $1.2 million.

Many community members attempted to persuade the city of the benefits of an indoor pool, however Gaston answered that Sidney simply couldn't afford it. An indoor pool would cost an additional $5-$6 million, on top of the $3.5 million it expects to pay for the outdoor pool. Additionally, the city would have to worry about another $600,000 in operational costs per year for an indoor pool.

"I think you're going to have to put in-along with that fundraising for the indoor pool-some kind of endowment," Gaston said. "That's the only way it'll ever fly. Otherwise we're looking at huge costs every year."

Members of the swimming community strongly advocated for an indoor pool in place of an outdoor pool and pointed out that this pool could be used year-round. They added that the golf course and baseball diamonds receive large amounts of city funds each year.

Gaston argued that the golf course makes up about 60 percent of its costs.

"Just so everybody knows, the swimming pool right now, the fees pay about 6 percent of the total operational costs," said city manager Gary Person. "It loses about $1,200 to $1,300 a day, operating."

If the pool operates all year, no matter how high the fees, the city would have to plan on losing $2,000 per day. Otherwise the fees will grow too high for many patrons.

"It's just reality," Person said.

Plans for the outdoor pool include infrastructure to attach an indoor swimming pool in the future if the city raises the funds for it.

"The chances of us probably doing that through the city with the amount of money we have are zero," Gaston said.

The only way to raise the money for an indoor pool would be to hire a fundraiser that would charge 10 to 20 percent of the funds raised, Gaston said.

At the last pool committee meeting, members asked for the addition of a splash park at a separate location from the pool. It would cost around $140,000 to install the splash park in the same area as the pool and around $500,000 to install it at another location.

Gaston offered to contact a professional fundraiser to speak with the pool committee in order to learn how they could find the funds for an indoor pool.

Of course the swimming community would prefer an indoor pool, Dorwart said, but she understood that the cost would not allow it at this point in time.

"I think the plans are fine," she said. "It's time for people to start moving."

Gaston promised to control the costs of the outdoor pool with the possibility of eliminating the splash pad at the same location as the pool and building one in another area.

"We have an awesome swim team for only having a pool open three months out of the year, look at how them kids perform," Gaston said. "I think it's a credit to you kids getting up at seven o clock in that freezing water every morning and then performing like you are."

The city plans to have the new outdoor pool operational by summer 2016.