By Steve Keenan
The Montgomery Herald
MONTGOMERY —
Officials are still mulling the possibility of not opening the gates of the municipal pool this summer. They are considering that option, Mayor Jim Higgins says, but it’s a scenario none of them want to see come to pass. The possible pool closure was discussed at the March city council meeting, but a decision was tabled until the April 13 meeting. Several factors are contributing to the talk of a closure, Higgins points out. Primary reasons center on a water leak whose source hasn’t been ascertained, as well as the current financial climate. “We have a major leak, and it continues to get worse and worse,” said Higgins. Utility bills are “starting to get out of sight.” The mayor also said the leak is a safety matter because officials aren’t sure how the excess water is affecting the soil in the area. The bad winter weather has made locating the source of the leak more difficult, he noted. Operating the pool costs about $40,000 annually ($26,000 from the general fund and $14,000 from excess levy funds), with possibly 10 percent of that offset by entrance fees gleaned during the summer. About $11,000 of the total goes to pay for utilities, while the remaining funds are advanced to the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley to operate the pool. “They don’t really do it for profit, but as a service,” said Higgins. “It’s never a break-even situation,” he said of the pool’s finances. “But I don’t think anybody sitting on council — myself included — wants it closed. “It’s the whole recreation for the valley in the summer, not just the city. It’s still used enough that it’s well worth it.” * * * The city police department will remain without a chief for a while, Higgins said last week, but that post should be filled by July 1. The former chief, Greg Lawson, left at the end of last month so he could run for magistrate in Cabell County. He had been on the job since last July. Capt. Jack Brown is currently running the department, which also is down one officer. The money saved ($2,800 per month, which doesn’t include benefits) by not replacing Lawson immediately could be used to help supplement a tight budget that has resulted in a street department employee being laid off, a paid fireman’s post being reduced to part-time, and the volunteer fire department organization assuming payment of utilities and other expenses through levy funds. “We’re still in the black, but we’ve had to cut back to bare bones,” Higgins said. — E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com