Iola hopes to open its swimming pool and summer ball league programs in late June or early July.
Interim City Administrator Corey Schinstock told City Council members Tuesday plans are slowly taking shape for both now that the state’s emergency stay-at-home orders are being lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recreation Director Jason Bauer is in the midst of hiring a team of lifeguards, a task easier said than done, Schinstock said, because many youngsters have landed summer jobs elsewhere by now.
He hopes to have the lifeguards trained soon so the pool can reopen.
“I do think we’ve got a handful of kids ready to work,” he said, with the city still accepting applications this week.
If staffing becomes an issue, the pool may be closed a day or two each week, Schinstock said.
Iola has been in contact with neighboring communities Humboldt and Chanute, he noted, with the thought that if one of the cities opens its pool, it’s best to have all three open, so none of the pools becomes inundated with out-of-towners.
Schinstock conceded the city will lose money, regardless of how long the pool is open, because the cost of staffing the facility and paying for chemicals to treat the water will cost more than the city recoups in admission fees.
“Even though we’d lose money, it’d be a great thing” to have the pool open and give youngsters something to do, Councilman Carl Slaugh said. “I’d encourage staff to open the pool as soon as possible.”
Crews plan to clean the pool and begin filling it with water this week, Schinstock replied.
Meanwhile, the city hopes to have summer baseball and softball games beginning by the start of July, Schinstock said, at the same time the city’s community buildings will once again be available for private and public events.
City Hall will reopen its doors to the public on Monday.
LISSE REGEHR, chief executive officer at Thrive Allen County, gave Council members a rundown of Thrive’s economic development activities over the past year.
The two biggest “wins” were the announcement by Russell Stover Candies in January that the plant was going to expand, bringing in 150 additional workers, and the retention of Tramec-Sloan, after the company nearly closed its doors because of chronic flooding dangers. Thrive helped facilitate a deal in which private investors purchased the old Herff Jones building to house the Tramec-Sloan plant.
Subsequent to that move, Natural Ag Solutions moved to the old Tramec-Sloan buildings in Davis Addition, Regehr noted.
On the retail front, Thrive also assisted with the addition of Faith and Farm and Outsiders to downtown Iola.
