By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Citing a need to do what’s best for all taxpayers in the city vs. meeting the needs of a small number of people who use the indoor pool, councilors authorized the closing of the facility at Monday’s meeting, which will cut approximately $50,000 from the 2014 municipal budget.The closure was partially due to two much-needed repairs that councilors deemed financially unfeasible: repairs to the roof damaged by weather over the summer (damage which insurance won’t cover) and the need to replace aging decking. Councilors also agreed that expecting all taxpayers to fund a facility only a limited number of people use was not in the best interest of all who call Presque Isle home.
Councilors discussed the closure in earnest during last Wednesday’s budget workshop.
“At some point in our discussion (of the 2014 budget), council decided to get out of the indoor pool thing and work an agreement with UMPI. We would still have a rec program, it would just be at a different venue,” said City Manager Jim Bennett during the Dec. 4 workshop.
“Given the wind storm damage to the roof panels and the deck, I recommend getting rid of the indoor pool this year. The sooner the better. We’d move over to UMPI (for rec swimming programs) and book $50,000 in savings in the budget, with potential for $100,000 savings,” continued Bennett.
Bennett said anything of value could be removed and the facility “boarded up, with possible reuse later or we could sell it.”
The city manager indicated full-time employees would “stay intact, and a lot of part-time (employees) would maintain their jobs as well.”
“This helps UMPI with their budget and is a neat partnership,” said Bennett.
Councilor Craig Green suggested the possibility of using the heating system someplace like the Forum. Bennett agreed to look into the possibility of doing that.
Councilor Randy Smith reminded councilors the indoor pool is on leased land, to which Bennett noted it would “make it a tough sell.”
“We may end up going to the Fair Association and asking them ‘do you want it?’” said Bennett.
Jeannie Gilson, a Presque Isle resident whose children have used both the outdoor and indoor pools and who currently work at the indoor pool, spoke during the citizen comment portion of Monday’s meeting, expressing displeasure and concern over the closure and what it will mean to area youth.
Gilson noted needed repairs caused the closure of the outdoor pool (which was built over 50 years ago) over the summer and now the indoor pool (built about 35 years ago) is in need of repairs and is being closed. She questioned how, if money wasn’t set aside to maintain these two facilities, the proposed Community Center will be maintained in the future.
“Once the Community Center is built, will we have money to maintain a pool or the center, or will it (money) be put elsewhere?” asked Gilson. “Rumor has it the Forum will be next.”
“You say you’re not cutting full-time (jobs) but part-time will be cut. There’s no way UMPI will take on the part-time — no general or lap swim. Those kids working early mornings or weekends, those kids are losing their jobs,” said Gilson.
“For me, as a person sitting on this side of the table trying to balance the needs of 300 people swimming but there are 9,000 residents in the community, I need to think of those on fixed incomes, who struggle to buy fuel to heat their homes. It’s hard to justify $150,000 for the pool,” said Councilor Mike Chasse, noting it wasn’t “an easy or popular decision.”
“But what do we do — keep subsidizing up to $500 per user vs. the needs of all the people in the community struggling to pay their tax bills?” he said.
Councilor Green said lessons would “be run through the Rec Department, with lesson prices maintained in some manner, for Presque Isle residents, similar to now.”
Green said general swim would be whatever UMPI charges — that’s their option.
“You ask where the money’s gone, I can’t answer that. I can’t address what they (past councilors) did with the money,” said Green.
He cited out-migration, the closure of Loring and cuts to revenue sharing as factors in the city’s budget woes.
“My concern isn’t that we are able to do everything for everybody because that’s not possible. The city has lost $1.2 million the last couple years from state cuts to revenue sharing,” said Green. “At the end of the day what citizens will see is they’ll have to swim at a different location, but their police and fire services will be the same, the highway department will have people working, people can go to the library and have the same service,” said Green, noting last year councilors had to come up with $125,000 from taxpayers to help balance the 2013 budget.
“At the end of the day we have to absorb $1.2 million but are still able to provide services relatively unscathed. It’s not a great day but a good day; we haven’t lost services completely,” he said.
Green said there are “a myriad of things for kids to do.”
“We’re not taking anything away, just sending you across town,” said Green.
Councilor Dick Engels blamed actions in Augusta for the city’s financial struggles.
“As a lifelong Republican, I hate to say it, but Gov. LePage has screwed the city of Presque Isle and failed to live up to the law with revenue sharing,” said Engels. “We have to take into consideration all the people, not just taxpayers. I never realized how hard it was going to be when I ran (for Council) a few years ago. It’s not easy.”
Gilson said Presque Isle High School pays a portion to use the indoor pool and she asked if that fee would change or go up.
“We have a lot of details we haven’t worked out yet, given the short period of time we had to work with this to move it forward,” said Bennett.
“I’ve talked with the aquatic director (at UMPI) but nothing’s been worked out yet. We’re looking at alternatives. We still have numbers to crunch before we can decide exactly,” said Chris Beaulieu, director of the city’s Rec and Parks Department.
Bennett said as one of the larger consumers of heating oil, “if we still have to buy or have to maintain at a certain temperature, we’d probably use 60 percent of the oil (designated for the pool building) anyways, so we may leave it open until springtime.”
“The good news is the number we have to raise for the year is $50,000,” said Bennett, “closing for the year would save upwards of $100,000 going into the 2015 budget.”
As part of the 2014 municipal budget approval process, councilors unanimously agreed to close the indoor pool as early as Dec. 31 of this year or as late as next spring, based on data yet to be obtained.
“We just don’t know at this point. We haven’t had time to get all those answers,” said Bennett.
