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Silver Salmon swim team urges action as pool hours, closures threaten programs
Summary
A member of the Soldotna Silver Salmon swim team told the council that reduced hours and potential pool closures are threatening youth and community swim programs; councilors pressed staff on equipment costs, lifeguard shortages and funding options including a borough service-area ballot initiative.
Maureen Todd, representing the Soldotna Silver Salmon swim team, told the council on April 8 that recent and potential pool closures and reduced operating hours have put club programming and student opportunities at risk.
"My name is Maureen Todd, and I'm representing the Soldotna Silver Salmon swim team in regard to pool closures," Todd said, asking the council to consider options to preserve training, lessons and competitive opportunities.
Council members and pool-user representatives questioned feasibility of shifting programs to other venues, including SkyView, and discussed equipment and retrofit costs. A pool-user representative told the council that competitive starting blocks and timing systems could cost tens of thousands of dollars, and gave a per-unit estimate for starting blocks: "blocks being about 2,000 to 2,500 a piece," which the chamber reflected as part of equipment-cost discussion.
Members also pressed staff on staffing and lifeguard availability. Councilors and pool managers said reduced programming has eroded lifeguard hours and career progression—junior lifeguards cannot work alone and cannot advance to senior status without sufficient hours, narrowing the local lifeguard pipeline.
Several council members, citing examples from other boroughs, suggested a community-led petition or ballot initiative to form a dedicated recreational service area to finance pools. One council member proposed the city consider a short-term funding commitment to keep pools open while community groups pursue a service-area measure.
The council did not take any formal action at the meeting; members said they want more information on costs, usage and possible interim funding before making decisions.
