A view from city owned property at the Softball Complex

City to seeks grant for new pool

By Michael Butler

The Tallassee City Council voted 5-2 to approve a site for a new swimming pool. Councilman Darrell Wilson recommended a location owned by the city on property at the girl's softball complex in East Tallassee.

The city is planning on applying for a grant later this summer to aid in funding the project.

"There was much discussion about making this decision now versus looking at all possible locations on property already owned by the city," city council member Heather Johnson said. "This plan has not been formally discussed with the parks and recreation board. The proposed site for the pool only considered the construction of a pool not any further expansion of facilities at the site."

Johnson and councilman Bill Godwin voted no.

"All sites were not given full consideration for a pool and future growth of the recreation department," Johnson added. "The grant funding cycle would have allowed for further study to be done."

City councilman Charles Blalock said it's not "written in stone" that the pool will be at the proposed location.

"My thinking was, we're pursuing something," he said. "I guess all the t's haven't been crossed and i's dotted. We don't have a plan or design on the pool. Greg Clark said he needed something to put on the application for the grant, a place."

Clark with Central Alabama Regional Planning conducted a meeting on Monday night at City Hall where select council and recreation board members assembled as part of a swimming pool committee, which included Tallassee Parks and Recreation Department executive director Rick Golden.

"I think there are better locations," said Golden. "There's a lot of vandalism over there. I don't know how well it would be to have a pool surrounded on three sides by woods. We've had the shop which is toward the front side of the softball complex broken into numerous times. We've even had a utility vehicle stolen.

"We need to put it where we can expand around it. Common sense would tell you'd like to have everything at one location where people could come to play tennis, softball, baseball, soccer, to swim and have activities such as aerobics and dance."

Golden commented on the fact that he nor any of his staff was consulted about the proposed site.

"I would've thought that they would've asked since I manage the pool. That's up to them. Maybe they thought they didn't need my input."

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