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NEW HAVEN – After three rocky years, the Jury Pool renovation has cleared its final hurdle.
The City Council voted 6-1 in favor of borrowing $4.1 million to substantially renovate the pool, build a new bathhouse and improve drainage to the surrounding park by rotating a ball field.
Councilman Tim Martin, R-5th, was the lone vote against the bond issue. Councilmen Ron Steinman, R-at large, and Roger Clayton, D-3rd, reversed their ballots from a previous vote and supported the project.
The council voted 4-3 in January to approve the same project, but the bond issue was later rejected by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
The New Haven-Adams Township Parks Board opted to try again under a new approval process, which gives residents the opportunity to remonstrate for midsized projects or to vote on a ballot issue for large projects.
Residents opposing the scope and cost of the pool project triggered the remonstrance process in August. County officials will likely certify the results of the petition drive this week, but unofficial numbers released Monday have supporters ahead by almost 170 signatures.
Steinman said he voted in favor of the project to reflect the remonstrance results. “The people have spoken,” he said before announcing his yes vote.
But he also asked the parks board to shrink the $800,000 cost to build a new bath house, which would include a guard room and director’s office. He said that money could be used instead to pour a new concrete pool instead of using a liner.
In mid-2008, the parks board decided to use a liner over portions of the existing concrete pool to extend the life of the concrete and shaved about $1 million off the price of the project. The change was made to comply with requests from council to lower the project’s costs.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter,” parks board Chairwoman Lynne Jury Isenbarger said. “Three years. It’s unbelievable,” she said, referring to the lengthy and contentious community debate about the price, scope and fate of the project.
The property tax-backed bond is expected to increase the bill by $17.69 for a home worth $100,000 beginning next year.
Parks Director Mike Clendenen plans to share a timeline next week for selling the bond, advertising the bids and beginning construction next year. The pool will be reopened to the public in 2011.
The council approved the city’s 2010 budget and salaries. The general fund budget is $50,000 more than this year’s budget. Neither city workers nor elected officials will receive raises.
