The swimming pool is not polluted and construction will begin soon on the Oquirrh Park Fitness Center expansion, director David Howick and the center's board chairwoman said Friday at a press conference.
The board called the press conference to rebut charges that the center's pool water is unsafe, the district is being financially mismanaged and the $5.5 million in bond money for the expansion, approved by voters in 1992, is in jeopardy.Several critics who raised the allegations and called for Howick's resignation last week attended the press conference. One critic, Chuck Newton, sparred verbally with Howick over his assertion that things are going smoothly.
Howick and board Chairman Janice Snyder defended the delay in the center's expansion, saying plans had to be redrawn when the Olympic speed-skating oval was added to the facility.
Some work, including engineering and architectural work and site preparation, has been done, Snyder said. She added she expects the board to approve letting out to bid the construction contracts at its next meeting.
Howick said negotiating for the speed-skating oval was difficult. However, by adding it, he said, district residents will end up with a $45 million addition to their facility instead of only a $5 million expansion.
"In retrospect, I think we could have cut six months off the expansion project," Howick said. "But the rest was out of our control."
Oquirrh residents like the oval, Newton agreed, but are still unhappy they've paid increased taxes since the bonds were approved four years ago and have seen no progress on the expansion.
"You have a long way to go," Newton told the board. "But I'm glad to see that by holding your feet to the fire you're going forward."
Howick produced a letter from the fitness center's bank saying no checks written on district accounts have bounced, as critics have alleged.
But Zions Bank branch manager Renee Wilcox did note in her letter, which was written Friday, that at one time checks were written on a district account without sufficient funds. The bank covered the checks, she said, because funds were in another account and "did not get transferred in a timely manner."
The board presented a report from an independent testing lab. It said the pool water showed no bacteria or coliform counts when measured Wednesday.
Jewel Snow, a water quality compliance specialist from the county health department, wrote that of 38 samples collected from the pool over the past two years, only one tested positive for bacteria, but there is no evidence the sample reflects bad maintenance.
"The overall sample record of this pool is excellent, and they are to be commended for the consistently good quality of the water," Snow wrote.
Mark Anderson, the district's attorney, said the board is in compliance with the state open records law. Ray Clark said his independent financial audits of the district's finances show them to be in compliance, too.