Give Alexandria high marks for cooperation.
Mayor Jack Woods, faced with a tide of dissension over the potential closing of the city’s public pool, offered a compromise.
If area residents can raise $50,000 to install a new liner, then the city will pay for maintenance and repairs to the pool’s base.
The new liner, he said, will drastically reduce the cost to operate the pool. Instead of a standard operating cost of $70,000 annually, the city might end up paying $35,000 per year.
Initially, pool supporters thought they’d had to raise $85,000 for maintenance and staffing. So the $50,000 liner is less than the $85,000 originally discussed.
Mayor Woods is acknowledging that a public pool is important to the quality of life in Alexandria while noting that the city is financially strapped. We think it’s a good approach.
Of course, raising $50,000 may not hold water for some residents.
But three residents known as the “pool ladies” — Sherri Brown, Vanessa Hosier and Penny Stevens — are working hard to save the pool. Their goal is to raise the funds by April.
Everyone in Alexandria should applaud the effort if they can’t donate to it.
This is a rallying moment for the city of 6,200. Gloria Gaither has joined in to help raise funds by providing banks where children (and parents) can drop coins.
On March 8, the pool ladies will walk across town in swimsuits to raise money. That event alone should spark fun and loads of donations.
We hope city officials aren’t assuming that the money can’t be raised, or aren’t planning programs for the summer. Everyone should proceed at this point as if the money will be there. We have strong reason to believe that collectively Alexandria can pull this off.
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