SEALY — Once, a place where kids would ride their bikes and enjoy a great day of swimming had water thrown on it. Sealy Mayor Carolyn Bilski announced that the Irene LeBlanc Pool would be closed for the time being while other avenues of water fun are explored for the citizens and visitors of Sealy.
Mayor Bilski said, “We are stewards of the taxpayers.” When the costs to the City of Sealy run into the negative to the tune of $132,000 for the year and have been running in the red for several years, it is time to look at when it is time to pull the plug on the pool.
The pool lost $44,500 in 20172018 and continued to spiral in its deficit yearly to $62,000 for 2020-2021 and now over $130,000. Mayor Bilski attributes the loss of revenue to several things. Many people can no longer drop their kids off at the pool if they are under 14. Gone are the days when kids could jump on their bikes and spend the day hanging out and swimming with their friends. Now an adult has to be with anyone 14 and under.
Another reason is the costs of maintenance and pool supplies. Pool supplies alone have jumped way above what they used to be. Lastly, the way the pool is uniquely shaped, the law says the pool must have four lifeguards on duty poolside plus one reserve. The costs of the extra lifeguards take their toll on the bottom line if and when lifeguards can be found to work.
City officials are reassessing the monies allocated to the pool and looking for a better way to spend the money. “The safety, security and well-being of the citizens of Sealy are important,” said Mayor Bilski. There are other needs for the money, such as the air conditioning going out at the Hill Center.
The Sealy pool is not the only pool to dry up. Several city pools have closed because of cost factors and the inability to keep swimsuits wet.
The City of Bay City recently closed one of its two pools. Its pool was big enough to host swim meets. According to Bay City Parks and Recreation, the closure of its Valiant pool comes down to the numbers. Although the operation of a public pool is not to profit nor break even, there comes a point that stewards of the city funds, such as Mayor Bilski and city officials, closures must happen.
However, Mayor Bilski saaid that everyone is looking at other ways to keep cool as a cucumber at the pool location, whether it be a splash pad or other water activity.
Polls show the changing shift from the good old days of spending countless hours at the pool with your friends now have parents and kids wanting splash pads and such.
