<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0pBIjC_1FC41VBd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0pBIjC_1FC41VBd00" width="1920" height="1080" ></figure>NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- Parents raised concerns to the New Hartford School Board about the district's current closure of the middle school pool.The Perry pool has been closed for six months because of a broken pump.At Tuesday night's board meeting, Superintendent Joe D'Apice gave an update on the closure.He said they are using a sump pump at the Perry pool to achieve minimal water circulation until a final decision is made.Local swimming club, New Hartford Aquatics, used the Perry Junior High pool for their learn-to-swim program. Aquatics was raising funds to replace the broken pump."While replacing the pump addresses the most immediate mechanical need, it does not, by itself, guarantee the facility can reopen or operate sustainably in the future," D'Apice said in a memo sent to Aquatics last week.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3VylqX_1FC41VBd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3VylqX_1FC41VBd00" width="1920" height="1080" ><figcaption>The memo sent to New Hartford Aquatics from Superintendent Joseph D'Apice.</figcaption></figure>During the presentation, D'Apice said the district expects another multi-million dollar budget deficit this upcoming year."We have to continue to be smart about our finances, and the question remains, 'Can we afford a second pool not used by our students while we are potentially cutting jobs and reducing staff members?'" D'Apice said.He said students haven't swam in the Perry pool since 2019 and that New Hartford Aquatics, as an outside organization, is "almost exclusively" using it.It would cost an estimated $310,000 to put the pool back together, he said, including the $60,000 pump replacement and a new dehumidification system that is estimated to cost $250,000.He said the estimated yearly cost to operate the pool is $80,000.In the memo sent to Aquatics, D'Apice also said the latest Building Condition Survey identified $100,000 in additional infrastructure investments to sustain the facility.One parent from New Hartford Aquatics, Elizabeth Carrol, spoke in front of the board and said that the community has invested in the pool facilities for decades."We should protect that investment," Carroll said. "Pools need filters. Mechanical systems need repairs. Facilities require ongoing maintenance. The answer shouldn't be to allow them to deteriorate until they can no longer be used. The answer is to maintain them properly."John Geissinger, whose six-year-old son is enrolled in Aquatics, said the program hasn't been able to offer as many swim lessons."The impact of that closure has already been felt," he said. "That is a great learn-to-swim facility in that it's shallow, it's not too big, it provides a great kind of infrastructure for parents."The closure has also impacted practice schedules for the program as a whole, he said.Aquatics was also looking to use the facility as an overflow pool due to the number of members and limited space at the high school pool.As a part of the update, D'Apice said Aquatics could use available weekend time slots for practice at the high school pool instead of using the Perry pool.The high school pool, which D'Apice said gets used more often, is receiving close to a million dollar investment from the school to make repairs, including the ceiling, locker rooms, dehumidification system and timing systems.He said he thinks it is better to prioritize one pool rather than dividing resources between the middle school and high school pools.The repairs would start in the summer, he said, but there is not an official timeframe yet.During the repair period, the number of available swimming facilities would be at zero.He said during that time, the district would be committed to finding places for the kids to swim.As for the Perry pool, D'Apice said he presented a "viable pathway" to save the pool, save the district money and avoid transferring the burden to the taxpayers.Starting this year, the district implemented a $15 an hour usage charge for outside organizations to utilize the pool.To offset the Perry pool's operational costs, D'Apice said, the district would need to increase the hourly rates at both pools, ranging from $50 to $100 an hour.D'Apice said the district's financial situation continues to be a "substantial challenge," and that the district has to look at all of their expenses, including the Perry pool."It's a great thing because it benefits our students and our community," he said. "However, given our financial situation, we really cannot afford the operating costs without putting an operating cost to that outside organization to sustain it."He said if the organizations using the Perry pool can fund it, "we are all onboard.""In terms of the pool and the expenditures to run everything, I understand that the district's in a challenging place," Geissinger said. "But we hope that we can find concessions and again make sure that any cuts that are happening aren't at the detriment of what our children can experience here in this community."D'Apice said no decisions have been made at this point.The option of cementing the pool has "come and gone" years ago, he said.The district currently does not have an "adequately" funded Capital Reserve.He said the district lacks the financial resources to pay the local share of major capital projects in the future.Whether it stays a pool or an empty hole for the next ten years, he said there would be no permanent change to the facility that the Perry pool is in."We can't afford it," he said.Lillian, a sixth-grade student at New Hartford and a member of New Hartford Aquatics, also spoke at the board meeting.She said she "loves" swimming and took swimming lessons at the Perry pool.To not take care of the Perry pool, she said, limits the times that modified, junior varsity, the varsity swim team, New Hartford Aquatics and the learn-to-swim program can use the pool."It doesn't affect any of the adults sitting in this room today," Lillian said. "This affects the swim teams, the learn-to-swim program and kids like me. This affects the future students on the swim team. Please don't take away one of the best things about being a student in New Hartford."</div></body>

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NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- Parents raised concerns to the New Hartford School Board about the district's current closure of the middle school pool. The Perry pool has been closed for six months because of a broken pump. At Tuesday night's board meeting, Superintendent Joe D'Apice gave an update on the...

Where Things Stand with New Hartford Middle School Pool

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NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- Parents raised concerns to the New Hartford School Board about the district's current closure of the middle school pool. The Perry po

Where Things Stand with New Hartford Middle School Pool

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