"Ripping off the Band-aid and closing the pool might be the right choice right now," Coun. Kyle Sampson said. "I'm not saying it's a perfect option. We went from March to September with no pool. (Closing the pool) for five weeks of maintenance may not be the worst thing in the world."
In a report to council, city director of community services and public safety Adam Davey said the city budgeted $458,941 to maintain the pool in 2021, under the assumption it could reopen in 2022.
However, nearly $220,000 is in the form to transfers to other city divisions – primarily the city's district energy system – and maintaining the building in a safe condition still has costs, so the permanent closure was only expected to save $150,000 to $200,000 in 2021. Davey urged council to approve demolishing the building as soon as possible, likely early next year, to reduce further costs.