Kenai council pressed for help to keep school pools open as district signals funding cut

Dozens of residents and swim-team members told the Kenai City Council on April 22 that local pools are essential for safety, competition and youth development as the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District signaled it may stop funding pools beyond fiscal year 2026.

“Pools are one of the only safe places for kids like me to learn those skills to swim,” said Annabelle Price, a youth swimmer and member of the local swim team, urging the council not to let facilities close. William Hubbler, representing the Peninsula Pro Swim Team, described heavy daily usage—he estimated up to 185 people on some days—and said community groups are ready to explore partnership models to keep the Kenai Central High School pool operating.

Why it matters: The school district’s FY26 budget decision set off a regional effort to find alternatives. City Manager Eubank told the council the district presented a financial overview showing a range of projected costs to keep pools open; according to that presentation, “if we gave them exactly what they were asking, that number…would be over $300,000,” he said. Council members and staff flagged inconsistent accounting in the district packet (maintenance averages were reduced to remove recent large capital projects), and said district and borough ownership/operation distinctions complicate negotiations.

What officials said: Eubank said city staff have participated in multi-jurisdictional discussions hosted by the borough, and that the local swim club is finalizing a proposal to manage operations under contract with the district. He asked council to authorize an executive session to define negotiating authority and potential city participation in a partnership with the swim club. “I would request an executive session to talk with the council about negotiating strategy and authority for the city manager,” Eubank said.

Community concerns and proposals: Speakers called for urgency and local solutions. Parent and swim advocate Dan Castmore emphasized partnership not blame: “We want to make sure these pools stay open. We want to be partners in this.” Doug Haymon, speaking earlier about a separate Challenger Center proposal, suggested potential synergies for shared facilities and programming that could affect scheduling and community access.

Numbers and uncertainty: Council members noted differences in the financial figures presented. One council member said the district packet also listed a savings figure near $250,000; Eubank and others said the presentation’s maintenance numbers removed a one-time, large capital project to avoid overstating ongoing costs. Eubank relayed that school-district staff told him a more realistic ongoing maintenance figure for Kenai’s pool might be in the $20,000–$30,000 range once recent capital replacements are excluded, but that the district’s ask to outside partners—if the city or others were to fully offset operations—could reach more than $300,000 according to the district slide packet.

Next steps: Council signaled support for continued work and agreed to take up negotiating strategy in executive session later in the meeting. City staff said the swim club’s written proposal will be shared with the district and with council; any city financial commitment would return to council for approval as part of budget or a separate action.

The council did not take a formal funding vote at the April 22 meeting; the city manager said timing and budget cycles make immediate full funding impractical, reinforcing the need to define negotiating boundaries and partnership roles in the executive session.