Town Council to Vote on Pool Option

The Cheshire Community Pool Evaluation Committee's selection of a steel tension membrane structure to replace the ever-failing bubble could move closer to becoming a reality this month when the Town Council votes on the committee's recommendation.

The council will vote on funding the selection as part of the town's Capital Budget at its Aug. 27 meeting. On Thursday, the council met with the committee to go over the recommendation and the reasoning behind it.

Committee co-chairman John Purtill told the council and about a dozen others who attended the meeting — many of them members of the Cheshire Sea Dogs — that the recommendation comes at a much lower operating cost than what's currently in place.

The town spends about $371,000 a year operating the pool that up until February utilized a bubble to enclose it during the winter months. When that bubble collapsed during the February blizzard — for the second time in two years — the debate began as to what should replace the bubble, and after about a month and a half of research the committee came up with its choice that will require only about $133,000 a year from the town to operate, Purtill said.
"The voters told us they wanted an all-seasons pool and that is what we are going to give them," Purtill said.

During public hearings on the issue, it became clear that many residents were not happy with how much the town has been spending to operate the facility, Purtill said, so reducing those costs became a priority.

And by having a true year-round structure in place, the pool will be able to remain open 365 days a year, he said, which could increase revenues from the operation by as much as 30 percent.
The design can withstand 50" of snow, Purtill said — 10" more than what fell during the February blizzard. It's also built to take 130 mph winds, he said.

The problems experienced in recent years with the bubble have led to an erosion of the loyalty of pool members, Purtill said, who have looked elsewhere for pool time as the Cheshire pool has experienced closures.

Having an facility that will remain open year round will likely bring those patrons back to Cheshire, he said, leading to an increase in revenues and a decrease in operating costs.

Once the council approves the committee's recommendation, the committee will issue a Request for Proposals from companies interested in bidding on the project. In September the selection of a company will be made, and that company will be charged with helping promote the option to voters, who will have to approve it in a referendum in November.

Assuming the proposal gets the thumbs up from the voters on Nov. 5, the committee will then sign the contract with the company, Purtill said. Construction will start in May and finish by mid-summer, he said.

And if the referendum fails?

"The next Town Council is going to have some decisions to make," Council Chairman Tim Slocum said.