Board hears pool-cost estimate of about $430,000 a year; members talk sharing costs

The Kodiak Island Borough School District work session on Monday included a detailed briefing on the community pool's operating costs, which staff estimated at roughly $430,000 a year. "The total cost is roughly $430,000 annually," Dr. Briggman told the board, and Adam Powers from facilities walked trustees through the line items: utilities (~$270,000), maintenance and labor (~$65,000), ongoing maintenance (~$70,000) and a $25,000 contingency for unforeseen costs.

Powers said electricity for the pool facility was about $53,000 in the year reviewed and that heating accounts for a large share of energy use; he estimated pool heating could be roughly $200,000 in some calculations and described a testing-based method that yields an approximate allocation. "We could do partial metering to get quite close, but to fully segregate the pool's heating from the high school would require major capital work," Powers said. Board member Duncan said the more immediate question is who should pay. "At $500,000 a year, we have to ask, should we be paying that much from the school district?" he said, urging community conversation and possible partnership with the city and borough.

Trustees and staff discussed memoranda of understanding that allocate costs among the district, the city and the borough and noted the city also carries significant staffing costs to operate the pool. The board directed staff to continue refining the cost data, explore metering and capital options, and raise the issue with the district's Budget Advisory Committee and municipal partners as part of budgeting for FY27.