Public meeting on pool's future held in Malta

A total of 35 people showed up for a special meeting to discuss the future of the Municipal Pool in Malta last Tuesday night which concluded with the Malta City Council eyeing a likely city-wide election to decide if a new or replaced pool is realistic.

The special Tuesday night meeting followed the regularly scheduled Malta City Council meeting and started with Malta Mayor Shyla Jones explaining the need for the meeting to those in attendance. The City Pool, which is over 60 years old, has cost the City of Malta a total of approximately $220,900 since 2011 while generating just $41,650, she said (the total cost to run the pool since 2011 included several major refurbishment efforts.)

“Every city knows that they are not going to make back what they put into the pool,” Mayor Jones said. “But the pool is (open for) just three months of the year and we are spending anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 to keep it open each year.”

Mayor Jones added that the Malta Volunteer Fire Department receives just $8,000 to $10,000 each year. She said that two Malta City Councilmen approached the Phillips County Commissioners and asked if a countywide bond could be added to the upcoming election ballot and were told no. Of the 35 people in attendance at the meeting, 14 were either currently employed by the City of Malta, members of the City's current government or running for the office of mayor or city council in the coming election. The others in attendance mostly agreed that what should happen is building a new pool where the current pool sits (instead of buying new land) and letting the voters in Malta decide with a city-wide vote on whether or not to increase taxes to pay for the new facility.

“I am very frustrated that our county commissioners won’t allow our people to vote on it,” one Malta resident said. “I am not sure why they won’t allow the people to speak.”

"If you want to find out if there is a demand for a pool, put it to a vote in the City and let the City say if there is a demand or not," said another citizen. "If they approve it, question answered. If not, the question is also answered."

Estimates on building a new pool range from about $1.5 million to $2 million (though it is believed that cost would decrease if the pool was rebuilt on its current site.) Mayor Jones said that when she looked into county wide bonding for a new pool several years ago (with the loan amount around $1 million) the total an owner of a property valued at $100,000 would see in new taxes on a 10-year bond was about $19 per year (a $500,000 bond over 10-years would cost tax payers about $40 per year.) For a bond carried only by the city, the total yearly tax payment went up to about $100 per year. It was stressed several times at the meeting that all the money numbers being used were estimates.

The Malta City Council will most likely decide on a vote (perhaps a special election) for a new pool at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 22. In the meantime, the City is looking to host pool contractors to see what a new pool would exactly cost and if it could be constructed at the current site.