CITY, SCHOOL DISTRICT LIKELY WILL REPLACE POOL BUBBLE

In 1979, City Hall and the Cape Girardeau School District launched a cooperative effort to build, maintain and operate a swimming pool throughout the year on the campus of Central High School.

The Central Swimming Pool project was, by most measures, a success for more than a decade.

But the facility's decaying cover, and the high cost for its replacement seemed a stumbling block to continued success. Officials said they doubted the "bubble" over the pool would survive another winter, and without its replacement many questioned whether the pool would remain open during winter months.

But the city and school district apparently have cleared that hurdle. Friday they announced they've reached a "tentative agreement" to share evenly the cost of replacing the bubble.

Larry Dew, the school district's business manager, said the replacement cover would cost $110,00 to $125,000. The city has earmarked $65,000 in its proposed five-year capital improvements plan for the project.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said the city and school district will move quickly to solicit bids and urge the process along in order to secure a replacement bubble by next fall.

"There is some urgency to this," he said. "It's going to take a couple or three weeks to put bids together. Then we'll have to bid it and then there's time for the successful bidder to manufacture it.

"If we want to do this, and we do have every intention to replace the bubble, then next year it will be a new bubble that's erected."

Fischer said that although the bubble will be replaced, the city will need to "seriously consider" restructuring the fees charged to people who use the pool.

"There are some programs there that are free, sponsored through the recreation department," he said.

"What we're going to do is study the use of the pool how much we use it, the school uses it and how much other programs use it. We have to structure something that will generate some income to try to offset some of those costs we're paying now."

Fischer said that children swim at the pool during the summer months for only 50 cents each day.

"That's all right if the city sales tax is growing at a rate of 5 or 8 percent a year," he said. "But when you're on a no-growth income and you've got inflation, you have to start looking at more realistic fees for use of parks and recreation."

The city manager said that the added cost of the replacement bubble makes it more important than ever to find ways to offset some of the $130,000 to $135,000 subsidy the city provides annually for the pool's operation.

Fischer said the school district and the city have continued to work closely together to meet the needs of the public since the joint venture was pursued more than 10 years ago.

When the Central Pool was built in 1979, the school district donated a two-acre site for the facility and also the old Lorimier School, which now is City Hall. The city paid to build the pool with help from a grant, and paid for the bubble.

Fischer said Neyland Clark also has been very cooperative since he was hired as the district's superintendent last year.

"Dr. Clark and I have had a very good and open line of communication, not only on this issue, but ever since Dr. Clark has been here," Fischer said.

"I'm really pleased that in tight financial times both the school district and the city have been able to get together, and I'm sure the council and school board too will be able to get together and come to an agreement to protect our investment at Central Pool.

"I've seen very good and willing cooperation, and hopefully Dr. Clark feels the same way."

Dew said the pool's annual operating costs total about $200,000, with the city and school district sharing the expense. About $114,000 of the $200,000 operating costs are for salaries.

According to last year's financial report on the pool, the district was responsible for about $67,500, with the city subsidizing the balance.

But Dew said one cost that's risen dramatically over the past year is utilities. Traditionally, utilities have cost about $40,000 annually, but with the deterioration in the past two years of the insulating bubble liner, energy costs have increased to about $63,000, Dew said.

"Obviously, a new bubble is going to help bring that down again," he added.

Also, more than $3,000 was spent last year on repairs at the facility.

Fischer said the facility only generates about $40,000 annually in revenue.

But Dew said that according to an economic impact study he and officials at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau conducted in 1990, the Central Pool brings in more than $1 million annually to the city's economy.

The economic impact is the result primarily of two large swim meets that are held there annually.

In 1988, the district and city officials discussed ways of cutting costs at the pool, including suggestions that the position of pool director be eliminated; that the city-school district operating agreement be restructured; and that the entire pool operation be contracted to a private company.

Another suggestion was that the pool be winterized each year and the bubble discarded.

When it was installed, the bubble was expected to last 10 to 15 years, provided it were to remain erected throughout the year and not taken down in the spring.

According to Asati, the company that provided the bubble, a replacement cover with a "Tedlar" protective coating would be much more durable.

Asati Vice President Theodore Weiner wrote to the district in March 1990 and said the Tedlar coating would last at least 20 years.