Pools Recommendation

A year ago the Mayor formed the task force. Tuesday night, they presented these plans for revamped city pools. For the past few months weve been at every meeting as the group of more than 20 community members decided what and where the new pools should go. Now theyre ready to take their plans to the city. City pools are the perfect cure for an 80 degree may day but the first city pool - Hartke - isnt opening for two weeks. It may be one of the last summers for the pool. The Mayors Aquatic Task Force picked a new look for the city pools "I think we have covered everything," says Gail Riecken with the Parks Department. The process started a year ago with a tour of all 9 neighborhood pools - two - Tepe and Howell were already closed for good. Since then theyve held 32 meetings, 9 public hearings and done 2 surveys. "I dont know what else we could do without." In the 10th and final public hearing the pool consultants presented the task forces final plan - moving from a neighborhood system to a four sector pool system on on the east west south and a central indoor pool. The original idea for this was because pools like Hartke were too old to maintain. They dont want that to happen with these pools. Thats why they set a conservative 800 thousand dollar budget and plan to formulate a maintence plans so the new pools dont fall into the same pitfalls as the old pools. "We can do a better job. We will do a better job." Many in the city attached to their 30 year old pools near their homes packed the meetings concerned these new pools wont work as for the city. "I just hope when we get the new pools done that these will be just as much attachment for those pools as the older." That is what they say will show success when its 80 degrees and people are looking for a state of the art pool to cool down. Wednesday, the group goes to the Parks Board but they still need the approval of the mayor and city council. The Parks Department says the earliest is 2009 but they still have a lot of designing and planning to do like the specific spots the pools will go. Right now they just have recommendations of certain spots. So even though theyve done a lot in the past year they still have a lot to go before the old pools close and the new ones open.