Pool users are pushing back against a proposed three-month summer closure in the Haines Borough budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Renovations, cost-saving closures and the COVID-19 pandemic have kept the swimming pool shut for months at a time in recent years. In 2019, renovations that began in May dragged on until the end of November due to unanticipated complications.
In 2020, the pool closed in March due to pandemic concerns. The closure was extended when the assembly approved a three-month summer closure as a cost-saving measure. The closure was again prolonged when then-pool manager RaeAnn Miner resigned. The pool finally reopened in early November.
At a meeting this month, the assembly voted down an amendment from member Carol Tuynman that would have used $50,000 to open the pool an extra two months this summer.
Pool users said they’re going to continue advocating for at least an extra month, citing the facility’s importance as an exercise venue for senior citizens and a training facility for young athletes.
“I would like to compete in college and swim in college with a scholarship, so of course, I would like to be able to swim and swim with my friends, who also want to be in that place in the future,” high school swimmer Rio Ross said.
Ross, who is currently in school in Arizona and lives in Haines in the summer, said a pool closure would set her back, even with rigorous cross training outside of the pool.
“I’m going to have to come to Haines, even if the pool’s closed,” Ross said. “(Last year,) it took five months of recovery getting back to where I was after a summer of not swimming. It’s very frustrating. I try to put a lot into my sport, but it’s difficult when it feels like the world is closing all the doors I need to be open.”
The pool closure puts families with competitive student athletes in a difficult position, according to swim parent Sara Chapell. Her daughter Lucia is entering high school and hoping to compete in school swim meets. The first meet is in early September and practice is allowed to begin in early August.
“She could swim in Juneau for a month, maybe, and stay with a friend, but that doesn’t allow us to build a swim team for other high schoolers,” Chapell said, adding that it’s also not a sustainable model for her family.
“In 2019, when Lucia had committed to swim meets in the summer, she knew the pool would close. She traveled almost all summer to get herself into pools in Juneau and Whitehorse and Fairbanks and Anchorage. It was a crazy summer, and it was silly and totally unsustainable. We were willing to do it one summer, but it’s not a sustainable way to have a swimmer stay in the pool,” Chapell said.
At least one Haines family has moved, relocating to Juneau so their daughter can have year-round pool access.
“I think it’s working out great for them, but every time we lose a family, it’s a sad thing for our community,” Chapell said. “I want to work really hard to keep our families here and our kids active and our athletic programs healthy and vibrant.”
The pool is also a mainstay in the lives of some senior citizens.
“It is my preferred exercise since my hip broke four years ago. I used to walk all over town, but I’m not steady on my feet anymore,” said Carol Lawrence, 81, who uses the pool three times a week when it’s open. “(Without pool access), I got stiffer and stiffer last summer.”
Physical therapist Marnie Hartman assigns pool-based physical therapy exercises for patients.
“For seniors, it’s definitely recommended as a place to get exercise. It’s easier on the joints. There’s no risk of falling. It also has that community connection component,” Hartman said. She said pool exercises are also good for patients easing back into weight bearing, people with balance issues and injured athletes trying to maintain cardiovascular fitness.
Hartman said although it’s possible to come up with creative workarounds for pool-based treatments, she thinks the facility is particularly important for the elderly community.
“There’s a reason why the pool is where they go. Walking in the pool is much different from walking outside. Traditionally, we’ve had a group of seniors dedicated to going to the pool, and I truly believe it kept them on their feet for much longer than they would have otherwise,” she said.
On the other side of the pool argument are cost considerations. Borough revenue has been down as a result of the pandemic and the state’s ongoing financial challenges. The borough is anticipating a 40% decrease in sales tax for the current fiscal year compared to the last pre-pandemic year. Sales tax revenue is expected to be a little better in the coming fiscal year but still down compared to a normal one.
Assembly members who voted against shortening the pool closure expressed concern about the price.
“I don’t know if I can vote on that at this time, until I know the cost of that,” assembly member Jerry Lapp said at the May 11 meeting. He and other assembly members, with the exception of Tuynman, voted down the proposal after learning it would cost roughly $25,000 per month to keep the pool open.
Pool advocates said they’re still pushing to add at least an extra month to the pool schedule in August.
“My hope is that since this was the first time they heard about it, they were just not ready to make a commitment and that they’re open to thinking creatively if we can get the pool open for more time to benefit more people,” Chapell said.
Creative funding solutions are in the works, according to pool manager Amanda Painter. She said the pool is trying to work with partners including the school and a swim camp in Skagway to find funding, declining to give specifics as the conversations are still in the early stages.
It’s likely there will be a small amount of borough pool funding, roughly $4,500, left over at the end of the current fiscal year due to the unanticipated pool closure in 2020, according to borough chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart. It would be up to the assembly to decide to put this money toward future pool costs.
The assembly has until June 15 to finalize the budget.