Majority of Watertown City Council wants new Flynn pool

Jul. 12—WATERTOWN — Three City Council members agreed Monday night to pursue replacing the Flynn pool at North Elementary School.

Council members Cliff G. Olney III, Patrick J. Hickey and Lisa A. Ruggiero made it clear they think residents on the north side of the city deserve their own pool.

The three council members want to extend a $13,800 contract with C&S Companies, the Syracuse engineering firm that the city retained to do a study, to provide further design options.

After meeting for more than two hours, they instructed city staff that they want to choose from different designs for the new pool, cut costs where they can on renovating the pool's bathhouse and possibly add a small splash pad.

"I'm concerned with costs and what we can do with the pool," Councilman Olney said.

C&S had estimated it would cost $2.913 million for extensive repairs to the pool or $4.13 million to replace it.

The pool repairs would last an estimated 10 years.

"It makes more sense to go with a new pool," Councilwoman Ruggiero said.

To keep costs down, however, they would like to see C&S eliminate "the bells and whistles" from the project, insisting that some of the work isn't necessary, Councilman Olney said.

For instance, he doesn't think that the bathhouse roof needs to be raised by 2 feet to hide piping from the public.

But C&S managing architect Patrick J. Currier Sr. said it was for both aesthetics and for safety reasons, since the equipment is exposed to the public.

Councilman Olney also climbed up on the bathhouse roof Friday and said he found no leaks — though the roof's drainage system was clogged and needs to be cleaned out, he said.

Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith blasted Councilman Olney for bringing former city firefighter and code enforcement officer Todd DeMarr up on the roof with him.

The mayor accused the councilman of putting the city at an insurance risk.

"You don't have the authority," the mayor said.

During a heated argument, Councilman Olney defended the situation with Mr. DeMarr, saying that his friend knows codes and Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.

After several minutes, council got back on track to discuss attendance figures for the Alteri pool at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds, compared to the Thompson Park pool.

Since June 28, when the city's pool season began, 2,180 people have attended the park pool, while 221 have gone to the pool at the fairgrounds.

Councilwoman Ruggiero said that many people don't realize the fairgrounds pool is open this summer.

She mentioned that road construction near the fairgrounds pool has prevented people from knowing the pool reopened this summer after a two-year hiatus.

Mayor Smith reiterated that the city doesn't need three pools that are used 12 weeks a year.

The Alteri and Thompson Park pools are open daily from noon to 7 p.m. this summer.