Pool Staff Positive About M&O Levy

PRESCOTT - The staff members and commissioners of the Prescott pool have been tracking attendance and planning fun events for the com- munity with the hope that come November, voters will provide the 60 percent of yes votes needed to keep the pool open another summer.

The Prescott Joint Park and Recreation District is a junior taxing district that has provided the money to keep the pool open. Patsy Adams Warnock, the chairwoman of the board of commissioners that runs the taxing district, said the district has the same boundaries as the Prescott School District. The taxpayers within the boundar- ies pay to maintain a cool, safe place for local families when the weather gets hot. The city does not contribute to the pool's operations, she said.

It costs approximately $110,000 to operate the pool each summer and the com- missioners must run a main- tenance and operations levy each November to approve funding for the coming year, Warnock said.

This November, the taxing district will ask for $110,432 or 45 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. Last year, Warnock said the dis- trict asked for roughly the same amount, showing the taxpayers they can maintain a budget each year.

"We really have done a lot of careful budgeting," said Yvonne Jackson, the pool's administrative assistant. "It's a big responsibility."

Len Conlee, the pool's manager, said the pool staff has done everything it can to maintain costs and keep them at the same level. With the $110,000, the pool can be operated and the commis- sioners put a little money into savings in case of emergen- cies or repairs.

The maintenance and operations levy has run every year since 1958 and the pool has remained open except for one year when it was being remodeled and another year in 2009 when the levy did not receive the necessary 60 percent. Warnock said that year the pool didn't open because the pool was just six to 10 votes short of approval. Because the taxing district only has about 400 voters in it, she said it is crucial the board of commissioners get the word out to voters that every vote counts for these levies. Also, they have been trying to make the pool an asset to the community by offering swim lessons, water aerobics, open swim and hosting community events.

"We want to do positive things and hope the community likes what (we're) doing," Warnock said.

Because the school district also asks for taxpayer money, Conlee said there is some major competition for taxpayers' dollars. But, he believes the pool is valuable to the commu- nity because it provides a safe, fun place for kids to be in the summer months.

"This and the library are the only things in town for kids," he said.

This summer, the staff and commissioners are happy to report high pool attendance for open swim - about 60 kids each day. The highest amount has been about 140. And those numbers don't account for the Jubilee Youth Ranch and Vista Hermosa children who come to swim at the pool. Surprisingly, it's not only Prescott locals enjoying the facility. Conlee said families come from Walla Walla, Dayton, and Waitsburg.

"On any given day, our attendance is one-quarter to one-third of people outside of the Prescott area," he said.

The pool is also hosting activities like the pizza mile and a car show to increase the atten- dance numbers. The car show, held Aug. 11, brought out eight cars for viewing on the grass in the park next to the pool. The visitors enjoyed shade and hot dogs. The show was so successful, the staff is already planning on next summer.

"I'd like to see about 40 cars here next year," Conlee said.

With the car show, lap swim and water aerobics, the staff members are hoping to appeal to adults who may vote yes in November.

"We're not just for kids," Jackson said.