By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Florence City Council agreed to keep the Aquatic Center open, at least for one more year.
At the first regular council meeting of the year, Director of Public Services Eric Hall explained how the city had to go out for bids on a management company for the Aquatic Center because their contract with SwimSafe was up, and they subsequently received two bids. One of the bids was incomplete, but the second bid was from SwimSafe for a price of $453,950, up $67,300 from last year’s price of $386,650.
He talked about the capital improvements, such as lounge chairs and umbrellas, which he said totaled $196,300. Expenditures for the pool last year were $632,461, and the revenue brought in was $505,000, leaving a deficit of $145.000.
Chief Financial Officer Linda Chapman helped to solidify the numbers, lining them up as follows:
$632,000 expenditures from last year,
$196,000 Capital outlay for repairs
$ 70,000 increase in the management fee
Total $898,000, which is what the city will ask for to operate the pool next year.
Chapman said the Aquatic Center operated at a loss of $145,000 last year, and she added that the money will come out of the Aquatic Center Fund. Since 2009, the city has put $4 million into the Aquatic Center Fund. That is the money that is still funding the center, and absorbing the loss at the end of the season.
“I am looking for direction,” said Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon. “My perception is that even thought it is costly, there is great support to proceed with this endeavor.”
She asked if council members were comfortable with proceeding even though the numbers showed a loss.
Councilman Mel Carroll said he thought, in view of all the numbers, they should reopen the pool for another year and see where the numbers ended up at the end of the next season. He stressed that he wanted it to be only a year, so they could reassess the numbers and the situation.
Councilmember Patricia Wingo agreed, saying it would be very important to reassess the numbers, and said giving it another year to try and make the center operate in the black would be okay with her.
In a voice vote, everyone agreed to try the Aquatic Center for another year.
The Aquatic Center has operated at a loss since it opened in 2004. Since there are very few pools in the area, when the city made a decision to close the pool in 2021, residents all over the area protested. That led to the city putting out a survey to determine who was using the pool, which was largely inconclusive, but resulted in the city scrapping the plans to demolish the pool.
A few of the members of the Save the Pool protest group ran for council, and two of them now have seats on Council.
New police officer sworn in
New Florence Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon administered the oath of office to Emmanuel Slaughter at the first council meeting of the year, while his parents looked on.
Police Chief Tom Grau explained that the 24-year-old lives in Union and attended Heritage Academy in Florence.
He told the audience that Slaughter went into the Air Force and is a Jet Engine Tech at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He will stay in the Air Force Reserves.
After he took the oath of office to become a police officer, Chief Grau said that he will leave to attend the police academy on January 29.