The Winamac Park Board plans to take another look at the potential maintenance costs of the new swimming pool planned for the town.
Over the summer, Winamac officials gathered information about pool costs from other communities, including Kentland. But last week, park board member Jon Chapman said he still wants more details. “I’ve been concerned since the meeting in June, if the Recreation Fund, which I believe is allocated at $40,000, is sufficient to run the pool,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of reading. I’ve reached out to some people. I’m not of the belief there’s enough money. I’d like to see what other pools in the area are spending on chemicals, staffing, so I can see real numbers, before I can, in good faith, go forward with the project.”
Plans call for Winamac’s swimming pool to be rebuilt and operated without the need for additional taxes. Park Board President Courtney Poor wants to take steps now, to make sure the town’s able to stick to that once the pool is up and running. “I don’t want to increase the taxes to the people of the town,” he said. “However, you don’t have a choice, once you’ve built the pool, if you don’t have the right amount of money allocated. If it takes the 40 [thousand] and we’ve allocated the 40, that’s fine and the town is dealing with that, but if we allocate the 40 and all of a sudden it’s 70, where are you going to come up with the 30?”
However, it is expected that admission fees will offset at least some of the maintenance costs that will have to be paid out of the town’s Recreation Fund. Chapman was also concerned that the pool would use a disproportionately large amount of the park board’s budget for the number of people expected to use it, compared to the town’s other park facilities. Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger and board member and town manager Brad Zellers plan to get more detailed information from various communities and report back to the board.
When it comes to the construction of the pool, money has been raised through donations from local businesses and individuals, grant funding, and support from the Town of Winamac. Park board members believe the rest of the construction cost could be covered by additional grants.
