A proposed $1.5 million bond for a new city swimming pool will determine whether residents swim or go dry in Pleasant Grove.
The 30-year-old city pool at 520 E. 300 South is falling apart. And because the deteriorating filtering system can't keep the water clean, city officials are hesitant to reopen the pool next summer. Poor water quality forced the city to close it early this past summer.Rather than simply making a decision to raise property taxes and build a new pool, the City Council approved a resolution in September to ask residents what they think. The question for voters Tuesday will be whether to allow the city to bond for up $1.5 million to construct a new pool where the old one currently sits.
The accompanying tax increase to pay off the bond would cost the owner of a $75,000 home about $36 a year, according to the city.
Pool admission also might go up if a new pool is built, but city officials don't know by how much.
A series of public hearings held the past month didn't draw much interest. Only seven residents turned out for the first one, although as many as 40 people attended subsequent meetings. Most had questions about the proposal. Only a handful didn't like the idea of increasing taxes for a new pool.
Pool manager Laurie Anderson said the existing 150,000-gallon pool has many problems, including leaks.
"The sewage system is shot. Our piping and plumbing is gone. We don't know where the water is going, to tell you the truth," she said.
The pool can't accommodate all the people who want to use it because of its small size and lack of deck area and grass. Many residents went to neighboring American Fork or Lehi to swim this past summer.
Other problems include dressing rooms that aren't private and no access for handicapped people. The pool does not meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Frank Mills, public works director.
City officials propose to build a pool similar to the one that opened in Spanish Fork this past summer.
Besides a 408,000-gallon, open-air pool, the site will have private locker rooms, larger deck and grass areas, a concession stand and a water slide. It would be equipped for a winter cover with some modifications.
Anderson said a new pool would allow the city to expand some of its recreation programs such as swimming lessons, water aerobics, water therapy and lap swimming.