In a big move towards making a community swimming pool for Susanville a reality, City Council Member Brian Wilson and Lassen County District 2 Supervisor Jim Chapman announced a new proposal Friday that would create a ‘Pool Commission’ with the decision-making ability to fund, construct, maintain and operate a community swimming pool.
The announcement was made Friday afternoon at the conclusion of Hometown Fest, an event sponsored by Susanville Supermarket IGA and a fundraiser for the ‘Pennies for the Pool’ campaign. At the end of the day Chapman and Wilson turned over the $1,231.04 that the grocery store has collected in donations to Lassen County Treasurer Richard Egan for deposit into the county treasury.
“Richard Egan verified that we raised $1,131.04,” explained Supervisor Chapman, “and then Susan Christensen showed up and donated a check for $100 which brought the total to $1,231.04 for the day.”
Chapman said, “With the $9,269 already in the account, we easily topped $10,500 and that was before Tony Jonas announced that Lassen Aquatics is donating another $5,000!”
Calling the new community pool ‘our community’s highest unmet recreational priority’ Wilson and Chapman propose that the project be initially governed by a joint powers agency which will be comprised of two members of each board and a fifth member who is not affiliated with either the city or the county.
The plan would call on the county and city to equally share the cost of constructing and operating the pool in the Susanville area.
The two government agencies would appropriate up to $200,000 a year, per year for 15 years, with the intent that a successor agency, such as a recreation district will take the reins before that 15 years is up.
Because of monetary concerns a conservative strategy has emerged which would allow financing of the facility at the minimal level to meet the community’s needs and then to slowly improve the pool as other funding sources become available.
In the joint memorandum issued by council and supervisors the two agencies concede that it will be ‘financially difficult to fulfill this financial commitment for 15 years’ and that the funding available must pay for both construction costs and operating expenses.
“Approval of this plan will demonstrate to our community that the County and the City have heard their priorities and constructed a pool,” concluded the memorandum, “This will be an incentive for our voters to help fund future improvements to the new facility and to fully meet the needs of the area.”
