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Nelsonville committee to seek public input after pool ruled unable to open; Athens offers resident-rate access
Summary
A Nelsonville parks committee meeting discussed a structural report that prevents the town pool from opening this season, an offer from Athens to extend resident pricing to Nelsonville residents, transit options to Athens, and plans for a public meeting to gather community input.
Nelsonville's Parks and Recreation Committee discussed next steps for town pool access after staff reported a structural engineering assessment found the pool could not open this season. Committee members agreed to schedule a community meeting to collect resident input and reviewed a proposal from nearby Athens to extend Athens' resident pool rates to Nelsonville residents.
A city staff member said Andy Stone, safety service director for Athens, called to offer Athens' resident pricing to Nelsonville residents and that Athens would invoice Nelsonville for the difference. Committee members said the pool budget appears able to cover the added cost. The committee noted Athens' posted daily admission and season-pass rates: $9 daily for adults (ages 18–59), $7 for youth (ages 4–17); seasonal passes listed at $150 for adults and $110 for youth and seniors, with nonresident seasonal passes reported as $50 higher.
The committee also discussed transportation and programming that would make offsite access feasible. Staff reported that Hcap-provided transit appears to be funded with service running about four times a day, Monday through Friday, which would allow residents to travel to Athens for pool access. Members raised low-cost local alternatives and programming ideas — including movie nights at park locations and a splash pad — to serve families if the pool cannot reopen.
"A splash pad I think is fantastic. We have young families here and we're going to have more over time," said a resident who spoke during the discussion, urging the committee to consider splash pads as a draw for children and families.
Committee members said they want clear, public outreach ahead of any decision-making. "We just need to work on getting the word out there," a committee member said, urging use of the public information office and multiple channels beyond social media to notify residents and solicit ideas.
The committee agreed to organize a community meeting to gather input and suggested Thursday the 9th at 7 p.m. as the target date; they asked staff to prepare a short list of bullet points to guide that meeting and to circulate notice in the coming days. The Bobcat Swim Club had also reached out offering help, and staff said they would invite such partners to the public meeting for input.
The committee did not take a formal vote on any capital project during the meeting; members closed the meeting at 5:31 p.m. and directed staff to finalize meeting logistics and outreach materials.
