Mayor appoints Chester Pool committee

<span>CHESTER -- During a short meeting of the Chester City Council, Mayor Tom Page revealed the eight-member committee that will help determine the fate of the closed Chester Municipal Pool.</span>

<span>Chairman Donnie Clark will oversee the committee along with Co-Chairman Russ Rader. Chester Recreation Director Patti Carter will be secretary.</span>

<span>Clark and Rader are aldermen on the city council.</span>

<span>Park Board representatives Gwendy Garner and Collette Powley, Chester Stingrays swim team representatives Valerie Blechle and Farrah Runge and citizen Larry Soellner are the other members.</span>

<span>Page said during the meeting that the committee has two directives. One, to bring to the council options on what to do with the current facility. Two, to conduct research on grant possibilities.</span>

<span>"I don't want to have a funeral for that facility," Page said. "I really want some options to repurpose it."</span>

<span>Page said there is no timetable for an outcome of those directives.</span>

<span>"There's no race here," he said. "There's no guns to anybody's head to get this done overnight."</span>

<span>The Chester Municipal Pool has been closed since June 27 due to major water leakage and other issues.</span>

<span>In an inspection report received by the city on Sept. 12, Burbach Aquatics put an "opinion of probable construction costs" at $5.7 million to renovate the facility "to its original condition."</span>

<span>Burbach Aquatics conducted an inspection of the 75-year-old facility on July 17 and 18 for a cost of $2,550.</span>

<span>The committee members were unanimously approved by the council, with Alderwoman Nancy Crossland expressing caution about maintenance costs of a new facility.</span>

<span>In other action, the council approved a resolution for a temporary road closure for the Christmas on the River parade, which is scheduled for Dec. 5. The parade will begin at Chester High School and end at the Randolph County Courthouse.</span>

<span>The council also approved the installation of two check valves at the Chester Water Treatment Plant as well as a proposal to hire a regular pipe fitter due to tight quarters at the plant.</span>

<span>The price for that hiring was said to be $4,648.</span>

<span>Finally, the council approved a resolution designating a structure located at 1047 George Street as dangerous and unsafe.</span>

<span>"There's no wiring, the wiring in the fuse box is gone," Clark said. "The water heater was removed a week ago and the windows are all gone."</span>

<span>In the correspondence portion of the meeting, Page said he received a letter from Tracy Colvis, a teacher at Chester Grade School, expressing thanks to the Chester Fire Department for its recent Fire Safety Week demonstrations at the firehouse.</span>

<span>"She said it was, by far, the best field trip she's taken and it managed to keep the attention of 63 kindergarteners," Page said.</span>