Advertisement The West Salem Area Aquatic Center Committee approached the West Salem School Board’s Building and Grounds Committee Monday seeking board support for the pool’s eventual replacement.
“We’re worried about the future of the pool,” said West Salem Area Aquatic Center Committee representative Rebecca Brown. “We don’t want to be a community without a pool. We’re here to ask what your plans are.”
Their presentation followed a report and tour of the pool facility by district employee Mark Ledman.
Ledman, who’s in charge of maintaining the pool, said that although the pool is showing its age, he’s been able to keep it running without pressing need for major repairs.
“It’s not falling apart, but it’s old,” Ledman said. “The pumps are getting old, at some point (they’re) going to have to be replaced.”
In the future, he added, the pool’s heating system will need replacement, which will cost about $10,000.
Superintendent Nancy Burns said the pool has seen more attendance this year.
“It’s well outlived its life expectancy,” Brown said of the 47-year-old municipal pool. “In its current state, it’s declining.”
Her group, which has been meeting for a year, argues that a lot of money is being spent on upkeep for the pool.
During his pool presentation and in the tour, Ledman explained the pool’s pump is due for replacement by a standby unit; the cost would only be his time. He also explained that recent repairs to the wading pool have fixed a large leak in the system that sent thousands of gallons of chlorinated water into the ground.
Ledman said chemicals in the water weren’t harmful to the environment and the cost of water lost was minimal.
Burns said specific district funds, such as Fund 80, might be available to help toward a future pool project.
The building and grounds committee voted to allow the group to present to the full board at its meeting Monday, Aug. 25.
Stadium project
Also at the committee meeting, West Salem High School senior Alan Nuttelman was given the go-ahead and up to $10,500 for his senior exit project: a ticket booth at the football stadium entrance.
The proposal will need additional approval before construction can get under way.
The structure will measure 44 by 20 feet and will be constructed in two sections, one on each side of the existing blacktop entrance. Booth sides will be built on concrete slabs, under a single roof, with the ticket windows enclosed with rollup-style garage doors.
The roof will be high enough to allow pickups to drive into the stadium area and the existing gates will remain in place.
Nuttelman said the goal is to start as soon as possible, with the hope that it will be completed by winter. The construction area would need to be fenced off during football games.
Transportation
The West Salem School Board’s Transportation Committee also met Monday, taking up discussion on a school bus replacement policy and bus routes for the upcoming school year.
No changes were made to bus routes for this year. Actual stops made along those routes haven’t been determined yet. Transportation Director Rick Kline showed off computer printouts from recently acquired software that allows the district to plan bus routes to minimize redundancy and inefficiency.
Language in the bus replacement policy was crafted to reflect student safety, efficiency, environmental standards, vehicle condition, size and additional budgetary considerations.
A standard for additional consideration to green vehicles and those using alternative fuels was tossed out.
There was much discussion among committee members as to whether the replacement policy should be a strict policy or merely a set of guidelines. Apparently, that will be up to another committee to decide, following a motion to pass the bus replacement issue on to the Policy Committee.
Other business
Other items before the committee included:
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