BOS backs $5.9M override for town pool project

The town has received 40 years of use out of the town pool on Bolivar Street. (Michelle Stark photo)

Selectmen on Tuesday approved borrowing $5.9 million to finance the replacement of the Bolivar town pool via a debt-exclusion override, and the proposal will now go to the Finance Committee for review this week.

With annual town meeting less than six weeks away and with the updated construction estimates arriving Tuesday, selectmen called a special session for that afternoon in order to review the report and take action on the matter as soon as possible. Selectmen Chairman Mark Porter said additional public information sessions will be scheduled prior to the May 13 town meeting.

The borrowing authorization will require a two-thirds majority vote at town meeting and a simple majority vote in a subsequent special town election, which has been set for Tuesday, May 28 (pending ATM approval). As with any debt-exclusion override, the added cost to taxpayers would come off the books once the bond has been paid off.

Finance Director Jim Murgia was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting due to a death in his family; however, Murgia had noted in prior discussions that a number of town construction projects will soon be coming off the books, which would lessen the impact of the added pool costs to Canton taxpayers. Murgia said the usual term of a debt-exclusion bond project is 20 years. Porter, a former FinCom chairman, said the pool project would cost the average taxpayer around $35 annually and potentially even less as other completed projects come off the books.

Recreation Commission Chairman John McCourt and Parks & Recreation Director Liz Francis pegged the actual construction, design and contingency costs at $6.44 million. (Initial estimates were around $4.7 million.) Selectmen and the FinCom have already allocated $340,000 in design money this year and the Community Preservation Committee has recommended a CPA grant of $200,000 (pending ATM approval), reducing the amount to be borrowed to $5.9 million. That figure could be reduced even further if Canton receives an exemption for fewer bathrooms than is required.

McCourt and Francis said they were surprised by the high cost of construction but also realized that building codes, accessibility requirements, and prevailing wages have all changed considerably since the town installed the pool in 1973.

McCourt said regardless of the action at town meeting and in the special election, every effort will be made to get one more season out of the existing pool this summer. If the project is approved, construction would begin in September with a goal of opening the new pool on July 4, 2020.

Both McCourt and Francis said the design of the new pool would make it more than just a swimming facility, as it would have a park for children and be more accessible for handicapped residents and senior citizens. The pool would be expanded to include one additional lane, and the parking lot, while not paved, would be upgraded with new gravel. McCourt said it would not be feasible to relocate the pool to another site because of the added costs for land acquisition and utility work. He added that the schools are running out of space and have their own space needs.

Both Selectman Tom Theodore and Betty Chelmow of the Keep Canton Swimming Committee said the town pool has been part of the fabric of the town for so long that it would be a shame to lose it. They, along with other supporters, said it is one Canton facility that could benefit residents of all ages, from the very young to senior citizens.

Sandy Hart, director of the Canton Dolphins swim team, said the Dolphins are in a league with 11 other communities and the Canton pool is one of the worst sites, plagued by water leaks and improper lighting. She said an average of 140 swimmers compete as part of the Dolphins program each summer and the pool services more than 1,000 people on an average weekday. On especially hot days, the Fire Department calls and asks pool managers to keep the pool open another 15 to 30 minutes to allow people to cool off.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=53801

Posted by Mike Berger on Apr 5 2019. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.