Seldovia rec service area asks assembly to consider temporary mill-rate increase as community seeks short-term pool funding

The Seldovia Recreational Service Area (SRSA) told the Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly May 6 it is exploring local solutions to keep the Susan B. English School pool open after the school district signaled it may withdraw funding.

Lisa Standish, coordinator for the service area, described SRSA operations and partnerships and cited strong participation in youth programming. "We are the Seldovia Recreational Service Area," Standish said during her presentation, and she noted the area covers about 43 square miles and serves roughly 419 people with a current mill rate of 0.75.

SRSA board president Liz Diamond told the assembly the community has held discussions about short-term funding and that the service area discussed increasing its mill rate from 0.75 to the code-allowed cap of 1.0 for the coming fiscal year. "We did ask that, about possibly doing a mill rate increase... we're asking that in discussions to see if there was community support," Diamond said, adding that a 0.25-mill increase would not fully fund pool operations but could help secure short-term operations while community partners pursue additional funds.

Why it matters: The pool supports swim lessons, lap swims and senior swim programs and,…