Opinion -- Do We Need a Pool?

By Debbie Roach, Mayor of Grant City

The Grant City Council voted to place a half cent (1/2) sales tax on the ballot that will be used for parks and recreation at our January meeting.

We talked about many ways to help sustain our pool and keep it operational including raising the cost of season passes or even doing away with passes and just charging a daily flat fee. We also talked about a property tax increase to help defray costs but we decided a sales tax initiative would be the best way to go for our citizens.

Each year the pool loses approximately $20,000 and the city cannot keep absorbing the expense of operating the pool without funds to do so. We are asking the public to vote “Yes” on passing a ½ cent sales tax to help cover the expense of keeping the pool operational and hopefully being able to purchase some items that will make our pool a more enjoyable experience for those that visit it throughout the summer. We might also be able to add to the playground equipment in the park or provide other outdoor opportunities for families to spend time together at the pool park area.

The chemicals for the pool have gone up in cost and along with paying salaries, buying supplies, filling it with water and replacing outdated pumps and lines the pool fund has went in the hole for the past 10 years or more.

If you have ideas, questions or concerns about the pool; we cordially invite you to attend our next council meeting which is Wednesday, March 16th at 6:30 pm at City Hall. We welcome input from our citizens on how we can keep our pool open and operational. We also welcome input and ideas on how to improve our community for all of our citizens.

The pool is a very important part of summer activities in our community and the surrounding area. It provides hours of entertainment and also provides summer jobs for many of our youth.

We were fortunate a few years ago to have a group of caring individuals step up and donate money, time and labor to revitalize our pool and we would like to keep it operational for many years to come so future generations can enjoy their time making summer memories at the pool.

We hope you will consider voting “Yes” on the ½ cent sales tax so we can keep our pool open!