LAKE COUNTY — The possibility of closing the Westshore Pool located at Clear Lake High School is part of the budget discussion as the Lakeport City Council considers how to eliminate a $1.5 million deficit.
“It”s just a possibility. Nothing is written in stone. We have not made any decisions about what to cut and what not to cut. We”re looking at all of our options,” Lakeport Mayor Buzz Bruns said.
The pool is open to the public in the summer months, and serves as a training area for the Lake County Channel Cats (LCCC), a competitive swim team that also teaches children to swim. At the July 1 Lakeport City Council meeting, City Manager Jerry Gillham asked LCCC president Jennifer Hanson if the swim team could take over operating the pool, saying it was either that or close the pool.
“If the pool was closed ? we live by the largest lake in California, and that would be a recipe for disaster. We read about drownings all the time, so we have got to believe we have saved lives by kids in the lake knowing how to swim,” Hanson said.
Hanson said the annual cost for the swim team to operate the pool would be approximately $27,000, which was the City of Lakeport”s estimated cost for direct operation costs in its 2007-08 budget.
“That”s above our financial capability,” Hanson said.
The high school, the city and LCCC each pay a third of the operational costs and split the use of the pool, bringing LCCC”s annual share to approximately $8,000.
“We have trouble coming up with that. We fundraise ? that”s why when we lost the fireworks it was so traumatic. When we”re talking about these kinds of amounts, it”s hard for us. We certainly won”t be able to raise enough money to do public swim as well,” Hanson said.
Hanson said in light of the fact that children from all over the county use the pool, “it would be nice if the county could contribute.”
Supervisor Anthony Farrington, who represents the unincorporated areas of Lakeport in District 4 on the Lake County Board of Supervisors, said he asked for between $5,000 and $8,000 to be set aside in the county”s 2008-09 budget as a one-time contribution to keep the pool open.
“My vision is to get us back to the table to help sustain the pool”s operations to keep it open long-term. The county needs to be a contributor,” Farrington said.
The city”s budget discussion continues July 15 at 4 p.m. at Lakeport City Hall.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
