Residents and council members pressed the city on July 8 after delayed pool repairs disrupted the summer swim-lesson schedule and left many families without clear information.

Kaye Hightower, a Junction City resident, told the council, “It sounds like you will be addressing at least a little bit of the pool situation. Right. But we did want to just kind of address the really complete lack of communication around the pool situation.” She said many families first learned of schedule changes through a community center Facebook page rather than the city website.

City Administrator Jason (city administrator) acknowledged the communication problems and described the immediate staff recommendation: because contractor commitments are uncertain, the city would notify registrants, offer refunds on request, and keep the public updated rather than repeatedly issuing tentative opening dates. As Jason said at the meeting, staff’s draft message would “lay out what we’ve done, where we’re at. . . . Based on that concern, we, unfortunately, are going to not have swim lessons this year. We’re processing the refunds.”

Public works crews have been conducting repairs at the pool and the city said a major pool contractor told staff it could guarantee work in August but not sooner. Staff reported limited availability among commercial pool contractors and that internal crews are undertaking repair tasks while contractors are scheduled for plaster and finishing work.

Several council members urged staff to try alternatives for families who had paid for lessons. Councilor Beach and others asked whether neighboring pools or condensed schedules could be used; staff replied outreach to nearby providers had limited options because many were short-staffed and had already scheduled lessons. Councilors also discussed concentrating available lifeguard-certified instructors into more lesson hours or weekend sessions if the pool opens later in the summer.

The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or budget action on the pool. Instead, members directed staff to keep registrants informed, to offer refunds to those who request them, and to report back within days on contractor availability. Staff said they would prefer to delay a final decision a few days to check contractor schedules and give the city a clearer opening window before issuing definitive cancellations.

The debate underscored two related issues raised during the meeting: (1) the city’s limited control over outside pool contractors and (2) shortcomings in how the city posts urgent service updates. Residents asked that future pool notices also be posted on the city website and in other channels beyond the community center Facebook page.