We were constantly told that the Big Sandy Pool could not continue to be patched and survive. The time is here. The Kiddie pool is gone.
Leslie Gregory, Big Sandy Pool Manager, told me, "When I came to work (at the pol) that morning, water was coming out of the side of the deck, like under the deck. There's a crack there. Where did all this water come from? It's not gushing, but it's enough to put water in our alley. I walked over there. Tim Labuda, thinks it's one of the jets that circulates the water. That's why we can't just shut it off. If it was a feature, we could just shut it off, but because it actually makes the pool work right, we can't just shut it off. It's going to suck because the little kids love it."
Mayor Shaud Schwarzbach sat with me at the Conrad Swim meet and said the town would not fix the kiddy pool. "The resources for that right now would be wasteful spending. The fact is that it's falling apart. It is finally here. That is the point. It's the newest piece of that pool. It's roughly 22 years old. It was funded, "I think a Fish, Wildlife, and Parks grant partly funded it. I believe it was $75,000. Part of that project was renovations to the pool area. Rotary and the Lippard Clawiter also contributed some." It was a $80 to 90 thousand dollars.
Shaud continued, "We'd have to tear the decking at least up to get to the piping around it to find out if it rotted and broke apart. Tim has done an excellent job winterizing and fixing the pool for summer use. Things are degrading and are starting to come apart. So that's all we need to say. We need to bring the money in. Let's get the new one built."
The city and the pool committee have discussed with a new architecture company ways to cut costs and create a new design for the pool. After the new cost is determined, there will be a town fund-raiser this fall, so think about how much you might be able to give to the project. Hopefully, all former residences will also support this project for the town of Big Sandy.
