WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Watertown’s Flynn Pool could cost more than $700,000 to fix – a price tag that encourages debate on whether or not it’s worth it.
We spoke with four city council members Monday. Two say, fix it up. The other two say, it’s not worth it.
“The reality is, is spending $750,000 or $735,000 on a band-aid, which is just a best guess, is not a wise investment of our dollars,” said Mayor Jeff Smith.
A recent city engineering report shows the Flynn pool needs $735,000 in repairs. And that’s considered optimistic. The price tag could be higher if major structural deficiencies are found in the shell. And the repairs would add about a decade to the pool’s life. A long-term solution could cost the city upwards of $3.1 million.
“A nearly $1 million band-aid to try to fix that asset up for only 10 years is expensive,” said Sarah Compo Pierce, city council member.
Other council members say it’s worth fixing up. Lisa Ruggiero points to a report by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, revealing that two-thirds of guests at the Thompson Park Pool this summer were city residents, meaning a third were not.
“Why can’t we offer these three pools to the county residents? And offer them to, you know, to be able to come in and use them,” said Ruggiero.
Ruggiero says having the Flynn pool and the Alteri pool would reduce stress on the Thompson Park pool. Council member Leonard Spaziani agrees.
“Some people say Watertown – this size – only needs one pool. But again, they fail to understand the people that live outside the city, especially Fort Drum people,” he said.
But Mayor Smith says this summer proved three pools is too many, since Thompson Park was the only one open.
“And I am not aware of any complaints or anybody saying they couldn’t go swimming and they didn’t have an opportunity to swim with just one pool,” he said.
Mayor Smith adds that he is in favor of a second pool, which would be the Alteri pool. He says the topic could be discussed during next week’s council meeting, but a vote isn’t expected soon.
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