A Pool In Peril

It’s approaching the time of year where the sun finally comes out and the temperatures heat up and all that can mean is another joyous summer spent at the Glasgow city pool.

In order to get the pool ready for the summertime crowd, it has to be drained and repairs need to be made before being opened to the public.

That task is the responsibility of Jory Casterline and Roger Canen. Casterline, who runs the Recreation Department, said that the city is in need of a completely new pool, but can’t see exactly how building a new one is feasible at the current moment.

“I just want people to get a good idea of the exact shape it’s in each year,” Casterline said. We fix it every year and patch it up and fill it with water and to them it’s all nice and blue and clear.”

The cost of maintaining the pool after it’s drained runs around $1,100 for patch work and painting according to Canen. Canen has been repairing the pool for over 20 years and said that such a task requires about 120 hours of labor each year.

“This city is always so generous when it comes to pitching in and raising funds,” Canen said. “I don’t know how we can get the community behind this without running to the well one too many times.”

Casterline shared the same sentiments when talking about the difficulty of trying to figure out how to raise funds for a new pool.

“I’m at the point where the community gets hit all the time for money,” said Casterline. “It’s tough to ask them for money.”

Casterline said the pool, which was built in 1973, was slated to be in operation for only 10 years, but with funding and location issues, has remained open over 40 years later.

Casterline pointed out that for a time, Glasgow had an aquatic committee specifically formed to solve the funding and location problems. The committee disbanded last fall after the passing of a board member and resistance of the county residents to create a special improvement tax as well as a lack of an ideal location.

One thing Casterline is adamant about is that the city of Glasgow needs a pool, but he isn’t sure how many more years the city will have one with the shape the current pool is in.

“We get a lot of swimmers who come from outside the city limits,” Casterline said. “With the amount of people that use our pool each summer, we definitely have a need for a new one.”

Casterline said that besides being open for the community to enjoy each summer, the pool is also used to teach groups of kids how to swim as well. He said that the idea of Glasgow not having a pool within the next few years, is the reason behind his push for a new pool.

“It’s just a matter of time before we don’t have a pool and we don’t have a plan [for a new pool],” Casterline said. “Then we have a lake 20 miles away with kids who don’t know how to swim because we don’t have a pool.”