Residents urge Antigo school board to keep community aquatic center open

Four members of the public told the Unified School District of Antigo Board of Education on June 15 that the Clara Archan Aquatic Center is an educational and community asset and urged the board to keep it open while staff and community groups work out a sustainable budget. Tom Cost told the board he brought documentation showing widely varying budget numbers and asked the district to meet with the foundation and operators to reconcile figures before any final action.

Why it matters: Public commenters said the pool supports physical education, special education, swim lessons, community programs and volunteer-led fundraising; speakers warned that closing the facility would harm students and families and erode trust in district decision‑making.

Tom Cost, who identified himself as having assembled several inches of supporting documents, asked district leaders for a meeting with the foundation and operators to “hammer out a good budget so the Clara Archan Aquatic Center so all parties can have confidence in what is needed for successful operations,” and noted his concern that “in a two‑month period, we can't see a deficit amount changing by $238,800.” He urged the district to commit to accurate numbers if it expects community partners to do the same.

Mary Joe Philbrand, who described the local foundation’s history, said the community raised $4.3 million to build and equip the aquatic center and listed major donors and past projects to show sustained community investment. “It was a community project. It brought the community together,” she said, noting donations toward multiple capital projects the foundation has supported.

Paula Royce framed the debate as one of transparency and trust, telling the board: “This is about trust, transparency, and responsibility. These are not optional. They are what the community expects from its leaders.” She said the pool provides students with belonging, lifesaving skills, and programming some families cannot access elsewhere, and asked the board to “stop treating this facility as a problem and start treating it as the asset it has always been.”

Student and coach Maya Keelman described the personal and developmental value of the pool, saying it helped her develop discipline, responsibility and leadership. “The pool became that place,” Keelman said, asking the board to weigh long‑term benefits when discussing the facility’s future.

What the board did: The board held the public comments at the start of its meeting and then moved on to other agenda items, including a long discussion and a multi‑round process to fill two board vacancies; the board later postponed remaining agenda items to June 22 to allow additional time for deliberation. The public comment speakers asked that the district work with the foundation, operators and staff to ensure accurate budgets and a plan for ongoing operations if the pool is to remain open.

What’s next: Board members said they would continue work on agenda items at a reconvened meeting on June 22, 2026. The public comment record shows clear community interest in keeping the aquatic center operational while financial and operational questions are resolved.