A week after school district leadership called on communities to take over school pools, a large group of swimmers and parents asked Kenai’s city council to offer support for Kenai Central High School’s pool.
The KPBSD Board of Education last week said it would fund pool managers, reversing planned closure of pools across the Kenai Peninsula, though they said that communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year. People in Ninilchik and Seldovia are mounting efforts to create or expand recreational service areas in order to keep their pools open.
The council chambers were filled Wednesday night by people who testified that Kenai’s pool were important to the community and beneficial to the economy. Vice Mayor Henry Knackstedt said Kenai doesn’t know what the district wants or needs from them — there isn’t a request yet made that could be considered.
“It seems like they should be providing us with what they want in their budget,” he said.
City Manager Terry Eubank said KPBSD Planning and Operations Kevin Lyon last month reached out to Kenai’s Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best to discuss Kenai’s interest in taking over the KCHS pool. A request for a formal proposal that can be considered by city leadership had not been returned as of this week’s council meeting.
Parent Dan Castimore, who spoke to the council Wednesday, said there are examples around the state of municipalities who run pools even when they’re located inside schools. Pools are a public good that could be managed under a parks and recreation department and funded with taxpayer support. He called on the council to explore options for managing or operating or funding the facility.
“The school board said they’d give us another year,” he said. “We want to make sure they know we’re taking it seriously. We’re not going to wait until next June to have a conversation.”
Will Hubler, who’s run the pool in Kenai since 1990, said the facility is largely able to pay for itself. KPBSD pays for his pool manager salary and for heating and electricity, while the pool uses its own revenue to fund lifeguards, pool chemicals and equipment.
His 35-year career at the KCHS pool, Hubler said, reflects a passion for connecting people with water safety and recreation. This summer the pool has 500 kids in swimming lessons. The pool hosts three swim teams — high school, club and adult — that bring nearly 200 more people to the water for fitness and recreation. Those teams have sent people to college. There are also physical education classes from the school and from Kenai Middle School that use the pool, as well as a dedicated lap swimming cohort and a large simulator to train people to escape submerged helicopters.
The pool has likely until June 30 of next year to find a new solution for its management, Hubler said. While the district hasn’t communicated what that solution could look like, Hubler said he hoped to bring the conversation to the council as quickly as possible.
“We really want our pool,” he said. “It’s a great asset for Kenai.”
Many of the swimmers who spoke, as young as 11 years old, cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say Alaska leads the nation in a per capita rate of drowning deaths.
Abigail Price, a high school senior, said that Kenai’s pool is “a lifeline” — a controlled environment where people safety skills that translate to the Kenai Peninsula’s rivers and lakes. It also provides opportunities for exercise across all age groups.
Michael Christian, who is retired, said he can’t run anymore — but he can swim.
“I need that pool,” he said. “I go every day.”
Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel asked the people who spoke and who came to support the pools on Wednesday to remain engaged as various local governments work to explore the future of pools in Kenai and on the Kenai Peninsula.
“Hopefully we can come through with a resolution that benefits the community,” he said.
A full recording of the meeting can be found at the City of Kenai Public Meetings YouTube channel.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
