CAROLINA BEACH – Locals know the classic argument against a municipal pool at Carolina Beach: The town already has the best recreational water around. It’s called the Atlantic Ocean. And it’s free.
That hasn’t quelled demand from several of the beach town’s residents, who for at least 15 years have floated the idea of a safe community facility featuring a year-round, indoor-outdoor pool.
Tuesday night at the town’s Municipal Administration Building, the Carolina Beach Town Council took its first steps toward the proposed Carolina Beach Aquatics Center following a presentation on the concept and costs from local Duke Hagestrom, who said he has pushed the idea for most of his 10 years as a resident.
“What we’re looking at is a year-round facility, not just a summertime pool,” Hagestrom, sporting pink swimming goggles, told the board Tuesday night.
“Kids,” he said, turning to a group of youngsters in similar eyewear, “are we in favor of having a pool in this community?”
“Yes!” they cheered.
The Aquatics Center as pitched—with an eight lane, 25-meter pool; a “zero entry” ramp for easy access; and a deep diving well—would cost an estimated $737,500. The largest chunk of the spending, $257,500, would cover construction, while a “bubble” cover to keep out the cold weather would run $135,000. An adjacent locker room and administration facility, added to an existing building on the site, would cost $165,000.
But before those expenses come up for approval, the town will need to address preliminaries including site planning. After Town Manager Timothy Owens told the council it may need to budget as much as $30,000 for those first steps, Mayor Pro-Tem Steve Shuttleworth made a motion to authorize up to that amount and received unanimous approval.
“This is conceptual,” Owens noted of the pool plan. “There may be some things that need to be changed.”
In the current plan, the Aquatics Center would take shape next to the Carolina Beach Recreation Department, behind the Municipal Administration Building off N. Lake Park Boulevard. While Hagestrom and planners projected yearly operating expenses to fall between $188,000 and $191,000, they eyed annual income from season and visitor passes, lease-outs, and classes to be nearly $236,000.
All told, including maintenance and annual capital amortization, the average yearly cost to the town could be $9,157, Hagestrom said, even calling that the “worst-case scenario.” Shuttleworth pointed out that grants could reduce the number.
Either way, the community has asked for this project, supporters said. While Hagestrom had the youth vote with him Tuesday night, Councilman Bob Lewis said he’d spoken with several senior citizens in the area who were also supportive.
According to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, a community should have a pool for every 20,000 residents. “We are way under-pooled,” Hagestrom said.
Questions ahead may concern whether to charge non-residents a considerably higher admission to the pool than locals, per the discussion Tuesday.
In another unanimously approved Shuttleworth motion that night, the council established an ad hoc committee of council members, staffers and residents to steer the facility’s development. Residents in attendance applauded the steps.
