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Home My WebLink AboutA024 - Email to Erica Fuchs dated June 1, 2007 - closure of Carr Pool Nancy J Carroll/COA To "Fuchs Erica"<ebfuchs@hotmail.com> 06/01/2007 02:32 PM cc ackerl9@mchsi.com, amesaustin@mchsi.com, dwb@nyemaster.com, eklaas@iastate.edu, susanb5142@aol.com,tcardwell@valleyb.com, bcc Diane R Voss/COA Subject Carr Pool [J Erica - Regarding your questions related to Carr Pool: No, the decision to close Carr Pool will not change due to the recent gift from Don and Ruth Furman. The City staffs and Commission's recommendation and the City Council's decision, on May 22nd, to demolish Carr Pool and transition that area into green open space was based on many factors including: • The facility is over 80 years old. • The last major renovation occurred in 1982 extending the life expectancy of the facility by approximately 25 years (2007). • Between 1995 and 2005 attendance declined dramatically by 48% -from approximately 38,000 to 20,000 visitors per summer. Carr Pool Operating Expenses: FY 06/07 Amend $92,528 FY 05/06 Actual $81,618 FY 04/05 Actual $90,706 FY 03/04 Actual $85.437 FY 02/03 Actual $77,162 The 'equipment repair' line item can significantly alter the budget for Carr Pool. The Capital Improvement Plan for Carr Pool currently includes the following: FY 07/08: $39,000 (replace diving board, guard chairs, deck furniture/tables, handicap lift and install a shade structure) FY 08/09: $86,000 (sandblast and paint pool basin, filter repair/replacement, replace pool water heater, create a family changing room) In the event the July 24th bond issue passes, staff will recommend that the above listed projects and related funding be removed from the Capital Improvement Plan. Regarding your question: "Did you have some sort of questionnaire that you sent out which inspired the idea for creating an outdoor aquatic center? If so, that questionnaire would be what I 'm interested in learning more about. ,, No, the Department of Parks and Recreation did not send out a questionnaire. Best Regards, Nancy Carroll, Director of Parks and Recreation 515-239-5357 Voice 515-239-5355 Fax ncarroll@city.ames.ia.us CITY OF AMES = "EXCELLENCE THROUGH PEOPLE" "Fuchs Erica" <ebfuchs@hotmail.com> "Fuchs Erica" -f� <ebfuchs@hotmail.com> To t G NCarroll@city.ames.ia.us 05/31/2007 01:01 AM cc ackerl9@mchsi.com, amesaustin@mchsi.com, dwb@nyemaster.com,eklaas@iastate.edu, \., susanb5142@aol.com,tcardwell@valleyb.com, vitol_g@yahoo.com Subject Carr Pool;'Pool Party'meeting information Dear Nancy Carroll and Ames Parks and Recreation Commission Members, As someone who supports creating (and maintaining) neighborhood pools instead of placing all public swimming facilities in one small area, I am wondering if the Furman family's generous monetary offer for the proposed 13th Street Outdoor Aquatic Center might cause you to recommend keeping Carr Pool open even if an outdoor aquatic center is built. Will you ask City Council to remove Carr Pool's destruction from the Bond issue, since the Furman gift that would subsidize the Outdoor Aquatic Center would make more City money available to subsidize a second outdoor pool (assuming the Bond issue passes) ? One of the reasons I have supported the Middle School site for the Outdoor Aquatic Center is that the money saved (estimated to be $500, 000) by not building on the flood fringe on 13th Street could have been used to preserve and cherish Carr Pool, thereby giving three pools in three distinct neighborhoods so that more people would have easy access to a pool (of any sort) . Building an Outdoor Aquatic Center at the 13th Street site will result in all of Ames' three public pools being located in the Brookside Park area (a 13th Street Aquatic Center, the High School indoor pool, and the Brookside Park wading pool) . I feel that such centralization, while having certain benefits, would also be Ames' loss, especially given your current recommendation to close Carr Pool, which is a beautiful, functional, and historic neighborhood pool. Would you please tell me the following financial information about Carr Pool? (1) Is the Carr Pool subsidy indeed $50, 000 per year (which I assume would go up if an Ames Outdoor Aquatic Center is opened) ? Does this subsidy cover maintenance costs of Carr Pool? (2) How much money has been spent over the last 10 years updating, fixing, and maintaining Carr Pool? I heard from a Carr Pool neighborhood resident that it was just remodeled several years ago. (3) What is the current "lifespan" of Carr pool, given its current state? How much money would be necessary to maintain the structure to keep it open for 10 more years? How does one determine when a pool is so old/damaged that it makes financial sense to rebuild it entirely? Secondly, I want to say thank you, Nancy Carroll, for sending the Outdoor Aquatic Center Final Data and comments from participants at the four public "pool party" hearings. Do you also have the sign-in sheets from each meeting so that I may learn the street names (but not house numbers) of the addresses of individuals who signed in so that I can see what areas of town the participants came from? As far as I know, the only place where street names would be recorded is on the sign-in sheets. In my previous e-mail I asked about results from a questionnaire about pool issues. While talking with someone from the Carr Pool area, I learned that the City had sent him a questionnaire that asked for feedback on issues including public pools. I just assumed that this was a Parks and Recreation questionnaire used to gauge whether there was support for an Outdoor Aquatic Center, but perhaps this questionnaire was from a different part of the City government. Did you have some sort of questionnaire that you sent out which inspired the idea for creating an outdoor aquatic center? If so, that questionnaire would be what I 'm interested in learning more about. Thank you for your time reading my long e-mail! Sincerely, Erica Fuchs 4014 Marigold Drive Ames, IA 50014 292-2687 >From: Nancy J Carroll <NCarroll@city.ames.ia.us> >To: Fuchs Erica <ebfuchs@hotmail.com> >CC: >ackerl9@mchsi.com,amesaustin@mchsi.com,dwb@nyemaster.com,eklaas@iastate.edu, s usanb5142@aol.com,tcardwell@valleyb.com,Greg >Vitale <vitol g@yahoo.com> >Subject: Commission 'Pool Party' meeting information >Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 15:00:53 -0500 >Erica - >Per your request to the Commission, please find attached a summary sheet >and the individual meeting responses from the April 'Pool Parties' . > (See attached file: OAC Final Data.doc) (See attached file: OAC Meeker >comments.doc) (See attached file: OAC Middle School comments.doc) (See >attached file: OAC Library comments.doc) (See attached file: OAC City Hall >Comments.doc) >I'm sorry Erica, but I don't know what you're requesting related to wanting >to review an "earlier public opinion survey (sent randomly to a certain >number of Ames households) . " If you give me a call, at the number listed >below, perhaps you can provide more insight on this request. >Best Regards, >Nancy Carroll, Director of Parks and Recreation >515-239-5357 Voice >515-239-5355 Fax