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City Council moving on regarding Chester Pool

Posted January 05, 2015 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler The Herald Tribune

CHESTER -- In a roundabout way, the Chester Municipal Pool has seen its last swimmer.

On Monday, the Chester City Council discussed the Chester Pool Committee's recommendation to close the facility as a swimming pool with the intent of finding a different purpose for the 75-year-old structure.

"The minutes of this meeting will show the pool is officially closed," said Chester Mayor Tom Page, who added the facility is being closed as a swimming pool.

During the CPC's meeting on Dec. 30, a concern was raised that it had not been publicly reported that the pool was closed for swimming, despite an inspection report from Burbach Aquatics that showed the facility is in need of $5.7 million worth of repairs.

The CPC passed a motion to send a recommendation to the city council to, in some way, make that known.

"We're going to say the pool is officially closed as a swimming pool," Page said.

The Chester Municipal Pool closed June 27 after major water leakage was discovered and never reopened for the remainder of the 2014 swim season.

Construction on the 540-person facility began in 1939 and after a delayed delivery of its then-state-of-the-art sand filtration system, the pool officially opened to the public on Saturday, May 30, 1942.

"Demolition is not a question," said Alderman Donnie Clark, who is co-chairman of the CPC.

Also under new business, the council approved new hours of operation for Chester Skateland. The facility will now be open Friday and Saturday nights for open skating and Sunday for special events only.

"I am wanting to tighten up some of the things that we are doing," said Page, who added no services are being cut to any children.

Considerable discussion was spent on a walking program that Skateland offers. The program, which occurs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., has been offered for around 14 years, but participation was said to be declining.

"The program is beneficial to those who do it all the time," said Chester Recreation Director Patti Carter.

Collette Powley, who said she has participated in the program since it started, stated the program started out with 30 participants per day, but is down to between 12 to 15 due to people passing away.

Alderman Robert Platt asked Carter how well known the program is to the general public. Carter said the information has been published in local media and on Facebook.

The council moved on to discuss alternate recreation options at Skateland other than roller skating. Carter spoke about the need to develop options for the teenage crowd.

"Ages 9 and under want to skate," Carter said. "Ages above that want a place to plug in their devices."

The council later asked Carter, who said there would still be room for skating, to report back with her findings.

A new truck for the Chester Water Department was approved for the state bid price of $27,210. The Ford F-250 extended cab vehicle will help replace two other vehicles that are of advanced age.

Chester Water Superintendent Tim Crow said the department has a 1997 Ford F-150 with 175,000 miles and a 2002 Dodge Dakota with 143,000 miles.

Crow said the new truck will also be used as a snowplow and that it takes a minimum of three months to get in on the state bidding process. The department intends to keep whichever one of the older vehicles is in better condition and sell the other.

"It will be a minimum of April before (the truck) arrives," he said.

The council approved parking on one side of East State Street to Welge Street and a $93,835 contract for a Swanwick Street overlay from Robert Street to Lee Street in front of Chester High School.

A decision on an $92,851 overlay project on Riverview Boulevard from Henrietta to the cul-de-sac was tabled until the council's Jan. 20 meeting to gain more information from the city's engineers on the condition of the sewer line.

The curbing will also have to be replaced.

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