Budget, bonds approved by City Council

The proposed renovations to the New Hampton Municipal Pool took a giant step forward Monday night when the City Council approved selling $400,000 bonds to help pay for the project. The 4-1 vote came after a lengthy discussion about the renovations and what kind of impact they would have on the pool.Councilman Scott Carey, who said he was “debt adverse,” voted against the bonds, which will be sold together with bonds totaling $1.75 million to finance the 2017 Street Improvement Project.But the pool renovations generated the most discussion as Councilman Bruce Diiro asked numerous questions about the pool.“It’s about quality of life,” said New Hampton Parks and Recreation Director Rick Kramer said. “Plain and simple, that’s it.”Kramer pointed out that, save for maintenance work, little has been done at the pool since the water slide was put in before the 1990 season. A committee began meeting last year to discuss updating the pool and pared its original $2.1 million wish list to $627,000.The new additions to the pool will include a splash pad,  a new drop-slide and several floating fixtures designed for children under the ages of 10. The splash pad would replace the current kiddie pool, which does not meet the standards set by the American Disabilities Act, and would also not need a lifeguard manning it which means  that portion of the pool grounds could be open later than the rest of the pool.Kramer told the council that the committee has already received almost $90,000 in private donations and grants. The committee will be doing a direct-mail fundraiser, and has several more grant applications either submitted or are in the process of being submitted.Also on Monday night, the City Council accepted the bid from Heartland Asphalt  for $462,530 for the replacement of the main runway at the New Hampton Municipal Airport.For the complete story see the 3/10/2017 New Hampton Tribune.