Dayton City Council Hears from Friends of the Pool

DAYTON-Vicki Zoller, President of the Friends of the Dayton Pool Committee, spoke to the Dayton City Council last week about work the committee is doing to help the community build an aquatic center in Dayton.

The city pool was closed this year because of infrastructure issues, and youth in the Summer Recreation program have been swimming in the Prescott Pool, she said.

Zoller said the committee used funds from grants to pay for their swim passes, and to bus them from Dayton to Prescott and back.

She also pointed out that the grant-writing committee is enjoying some success. The committee has recently written a grant to the Blue Mountain Community Foundation to help the city with the cost of engineering services.

Any funds they receive will be added to funds being overseen by the Community Network. The goal is to create a matching funds account for larger grants, such as the USDA grant they will write next year, Zoller said.

The group also made some money selling pool noodles at National Night Out, and they are in the process of creating a website with a link for donations. They will have a booth at the Columbia County Fair, she said.

The Friends of the Pool surveyed youth about their vision for an aquatic center during the Summer Recreation Program and at National Night Out.

"We'll be talking to adults, as well. We are figuring we are going to get an earful from adults in the community and felt like we wanted to make sure we were including the kids because this is going to be their future pool," said Zoller. She said a common theme is people want an indoor, year-around aquatic center.

Regarding repairs to the existing pool, Zoller said, "We're not looking at too many options until we get an assessment from an engineer."

But, she said people should "dream big. The possibilities now are endless. You can dream all you want, and then see what kind of pool you get," she said.

Zoller presented the city with a check for $6,300 from grant funds received from the Warren Foundation. That will be added to money the city has budgeted for the pool.

Later in the meeting, the council passed a resolution to enter into a professional services agreement for the Dayton Swimming Pool Facility Condition Assessment with ORB Architects, Inc. The agreement is not to exceed $49,648.

Mayor Craig George said engineers from ORB will be on site on August 16. They will present the council with a preliminary report on the pool in October, and a final report in November.