WILMINGTON — Sabina Mayor Dean Hawk asked Clinton County’s commissioners to consider aiding the village with $5,000 in startup costs related to its pool. The commissioners said they would consider and discuss Hawk’s request.
“I’m not going to tell you that we cannot open this without your help because our people are so committed to this pool,” Hawk told commissioners.
Hawk said the pool, “the only public pool in Clinton County now,” attracts people from all over to Sabina, and he said the general fund’s tax base has been hard hit as employment has fallen over the last several years.
The village mayor estimated $7,200 in startup costs, including more than $3,800 in labor. Later, he said he hoped commissioners would give $5,000 in assistance.
“One way or another, we’ll get that pool open, but it certainly would be a whole lot easier for us, if we didn’t have to dig into that general fund,” Hawk told commissioners.
Hawk said last year many maintenance items were done, reducing costs this year. That may not be the case this year, he said.
“There are some things on there … if you help us, all those things will get done,” Hawk said. “There are things on there that we’ll simply have to cut out or get by for a while if we don’t get some help.”
Hawk said the pool can pay for its own operating costs and took some blame for its needs.
“Part of the reason we’re hurting right now is my fault,” Hawk said. “I’ve always been saying for years, a pool ought to be open … till Labor Day.”
He said last year, village officials listened to him and kept it open, and attendance after schools re-opened wasn’t as high as Hawk had hoped.
“They were right,” he said.
Hawk also explained the pool’s rate structure, which ranges from $3 per day to $200 for an annual family pass with multiple options in between those rates.
“We’re trying real hard not to raise” those rates, Hawk said. “We could probably raise it a dollar or two, but we’d lose it on concessions.”
Commissioner Pat Haley said he favors the project and asked if the village could absorb the $3,800 in labor costs.
Hawk said he was hoping to secure $5,000 in aid, but added he wouldn’t turn down assistance.
Haley also said it’s important for a small town like Sabina to offer activities.
“The pool has always been, in the summertime, for Sabina, that’s been a centerpiece, and I think it’s one that people appreciate,” Haley said. “It’s something that benefits the community.”
“For the age of that pool, it’s a beautiful place,” Hawk said. “It’s a good place to bring your grandchildren.”
Reach Nathan Kraatz at 937-382-2574, ext. 2510 or on Twitter @NathanKraatz.
