PORT ANGELES — The city’s public pool will close Dec. 31 unless some other agency steps up to support it.
With a firm plan for operating the William Shore Memorial Pool in place by December, the city will postpone closing the pool until March 31.
That’s what the Port Angeles City Council told more than 100 people — many carrying signs saying “Save Our Pool” — who showed up for the Wednesday work session on the preliminary 2009 budget.
Pool manager Jayna Lafferty said after the meeting that she thinks the community will find a solution before December.
“I think we can do it,” she said.
“I think we can pull together and get this done.”
No public comment was permitted at the meeting, where city staff offered recommendations for dealing with a projected shortfall of about $1.6 million.
The staff and finance committee suggestion was to close the pool on Dec. 31, barring some community partner stepping up to take over operations.
“City staff met with the YMCA, Port Angeles School District and Clallam County to negotiate a transfer of pool operations, but we had no takers,” said City Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski.
In 2008, the pool cost the city $390,000, Ziomkowski said.
To pay for the pool, fees would have to be raised by five or six times the present amount, and raised by another 10 percent annually, she said.
