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Council suspends Caveman Pool renovation and redirects city ARPA funds to public-safety radio upgrades
Summary
The council voted to pause the Caveman Pool renovation project and later approved reallocating $1.2 million in unrestricted federal-era funds toward improved public-safety communications and camera upgrades; the Urban Renewal Agency likewise suspended the $5 million URA allocation for the pool.
The Grants Pass City Council voted to suspend the Caveman Pool renovation project and reallocate $1.2 million in previously unallocated federal-era funds toward public-safety improvements, councilors and staff said.
Bradley Clark, Community Development, summarized the pool's multi-year history, including design contracts and multiple rounds of community input. Council members had previously set a $6.5 million target for a modified renovation that would include slides and other amenities but exclude a full bathhouse renovation. Bradley told council the YMCA had historically operated the pool and the existing pool could open for the 2025 season with minor repairs. Staff also noted the city had spent about $148,000 to date on design services, with roughly $70,000 remaining on the contract.
Councilor Kathleen said she favored pausing the project and holding a workshop to study alternatives and prioritization. After discussion, the council adopted a resolution to suspend the Caveman Pool project (motion passed by a 6-1 margin) and asked staff to present alternatives in a workshop format for council consideration.
In a separate action, the council then considered reallocating $1,200,000 in previously unassigned funds (formerly ARPA). City staff recommended investing in upgrades to the city's public-safety radio repeater system to address coverage gaps and improve firefighter and police communications, a priority staff said both chiefs supported. The city had previously set aside $200,000 toward the repeater project; council authorized moving the additional $1.2 million into public-safety communications and to partially fund surveillance camera upgrades. That reallocation passed the council by a 6-1 vote.
The council then convened as the Grants Pass Urban Renewal Agency. Staff explained that the urban renewal plan had earlier reserved $5 million for the Caveman Pool and a separate prior action had expanded the urban renewal boundary to include the pool property. In the URA session the Board voted to suspend use of the $5 million URA allocation for the pool; the URA vote will require separate action later if funds are to be reallocated.
Public comment at the council meeting included YMCA and community volunteers who argued the pool had strong community support and that modest investment could preserve a decades-old community asset used for swim lessons and family recreation. Others said the city had larger short-term priorities and urged fiscal restraint. Council later added a council workshop to review pool funding alternatives and to consider how best to prioritize capital dollars.
The council's actions pause current work by the design consultant on the pool project; staff said they will return with scenarios and a recommended workshop agenda. The public-safety reallocation will move forward per council direction, and staff said work on repeater upgrades and camera improvements will proceed with procurement and design steps.
