Deficits outweighed survey results
By NICK VLAHOS
For The Weekly Post
PRINCEVILLE – More than 83 percent of survey respondents wanted the Princeville Aquatic Center to remain open.
But the Princeville Village Board deemed the swimming complex a luxury its community cannot afford.
With a 5-0 vote March 21, the board decided to close the aquatic center permanently. Mounting financial losses influenced the decision. Minimum-wage increases, higher materials costs and expenses for necessary upgrades were factors.
The complex was projected to be more than $100,000 in the red to enter the upcoming summer season. The facility that’s about a quarter-century old always has operated at a deficit, albeit not as much as the current one, according to village officials.
“We’re elected to safeguard the village money,” Village President Jeff Troutman said. “It’s a shame it’s come down to this point.
“I know everybody wants it. I know it’s a welcome part of the Princeville community. It does add a benefit to our town.”
Fiscal numbers outweighed at least one measure of public sentiment. According to Trustee Teresa Gilroy, the village received 186 responses to a published survey regarding whether the aquatic center should remain open. Of those responses, 155 were in favor.
The board also received a letter of aquatic-center support, from Dan and Kathy Sullivan, and in-person testimony from local resident Dan Cordis.
“I think of the pool as a quality-of-life component to the village,” he said. “There are not too many quality-of-life components in town. I think that’s a big deal and probably something that should be avoided at all costs. I think the pool is something that differentiates Princeville a little bit.”
But Village Public Works Superintendent Chad Gardner suggested that difference wasn’t worth the price. Water and sewer funds have been used to help keep the aquatic center afloat.
“There’s an opportunity to find something else that gives you quality of life, things that aren’t a continuous drain on the financials every year,” Gardner said. “Why are we so special that the Village of Princeville has to keep their pool open and everybody else closes theirs?”
Gardner estimated it would cost between $100,000 and $150,000 to decommission the aquatic center. The village intends to sell some of the facility’s equipment. Gardner estimated two to four houses can be built on the aquatic-center property, should the village sell it.
Located at 620 Princeville Ave., the aquatic center has three pools – a 25-yard lap pool, a T-shaped pool and a wading pool. About 4,400 customers used the facility last summer, according to village figures.
Troutman and trustees suggested increases in admission fees wouldn’t be enough to dent the deficit.
“If we close the pool, we’re going to be terrible people,” Trustee Donald Peterson Jr. said. “But they don’t want to thank us for being year upon year in debt to keep the pool open.”
Peterson joined colleagues Ron Delbridge, Rick Pope, Richard Schoenbeck and Gilroy in voting to shutter the aquatic center. Gilroy chairs the board committee that oversees it. For 30 seconds or so, she appeared to agonize about her vote before she cast it.
“I don’t think it’s an easy decision for any of them,” Troutman said afterward.
Missing from the meeting was Trustee Nathan Wineinger, who resigned. According to Troutman, Wineinger moved outside village limits.
Troutman is to appoint someone to fill the remaining two years of Wineinger’s term, which expires in April 2025. The village is advertising the opening. Troutman said he heard from two people interested in the board opening.
According to Troutman, the village also issued a building permit for a new single-family residence at 1475 N. Town Ave.
