Pool To Stay Open

Until May 15

By Larissa Lytwyn

During its meeting March 18, the school board voted 4 to 2 to keep the Newtown High School swimming pool open to the public until May 15, following what both board members and the Parks and Recreation Department described as a “miscommunication” over the closing date.

To save an estimated $8,500 in operating costs following last year’s $1.4 million cut from its proposed education budget, the school board made a decision last June to make this year’s public closing date April 1.

In addition, fees were doubled; a single seasonal pass increased from $25 to $50 while family passes rose from $50 to $100. All funds collected would be sent directly to the school board.

The Parks and Recreation Department, however, believed the closing date was not April 1, but May 15. The May 15 date was even printed in the department’s seasonal activity brochure.

During the March 18 school board meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian and Chairman Larry Haskel appealed to board members to keep the pool open until May 15.

“Normally, the pool stays open until June,” Mr Haskel said. “We have tried to do our part. All the money we have collected has been turned over to the Board of Education.”

Moreover, the amount collected totaled nearly $13,000, approximately $5,000 more than the board’s original estimation.

Keeping the pool open from April 1 to May 15 would cost an additional $3,000, a number Finance Director Ron Bienkowski said he was confident could be absorbed through lower-than-expected electricity costs and other factors.

Still, board member David Nanavaty said that keeping the pool open to May 15 could send mixed messages to students and other members of the community who had expressed concern over last fall’s $40 activity fees.

The possibility of issuing refunds was briefly discussed but eventually determined to be too complex to be swiftly and accurately conducted.

Board member Paul Mangiafico, who believed the pool should stay open until May 15, said that the entire miscommunication was part of an ongoing problem in town and should be continually addressed.

While most of the board shared Mr Mangiafico view, David Nanavaty and Chair Elaine McClure voted against the May 15 date. Both objected to the expense of keeping the pool open later than the original April 1 closing date, saying it would require funds that otherwise would be used to benefit students.