Tuesday night's meeting of the Florence city council saw the resignation of a member of council, the swearing-in of the new fire chief, and the continuation of an ongoing fight about the city's Aquatic Center.
Mayor Diane Whalen read parts of a letter to residents related to the future of the aquatic center and what may replace the now-shuttered recreational facility.
"As we began working on some revisions to the recreation survey regarding the potential uses of the aquatic center property, the question was raised about the timing," she read. "What has been the driving force for moving forward this year?"
Whalen said that the reason a new idea, to construct a new park with copious amenities, was fast-tracked this year was so that something could be operational in 2022.
The aquatic center was closed in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and closed again this year, with the city arguing that it costs too much to operate for only ten weeks a year. According to revenue and expense numbers provided by the city to RCN, the pool was on the positive side in 2019, but only barely, showing a net profit of $690.
However, it lost more than $91,000 in 2018.
Whalen said that some of the people campaigning to save the aquatic center have been mean.
"We have heard from others that understand the financial concern, and others still who look forward to seeing what might come next," she said. "Most have been polite and respectful in expressing their thoughts and opinions. Some have not. I will tell you that the people who sit in front of you at these meetings are all here doing this job for the right reasons," she said of the council.
Whalen then broke down and needed several minutes before she could continue.
"Each and every one of you believe in being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and providing the services that the community deserves and wants. No one up here deserves to be accused of doing anything to 'line their pockets', or threatened for doing what they believe is the right thing, not just for the moment, but for the long term health and success of our community," Whalen said.
"Sharing opinions and thoughts is a process that should be welcomed," she said. "Personal attacks should never be a part of a civil conversation."
The letter began an hour-long conversation about slowing down the timeline on replacing the aquatic center with a 4-acre park with concert capabilities, a splash pad, and picnic areas. Whalen proposed sending a revised survey to all residents, and results will be made public, so that they are transparent. She said the decision about the pool will be made largely from the results of the survey, but a few other things have to be taken into consideration.
Whalen asked council to tell her what they thought. She encouraged them to give her direction.
"I still believe the project we have on the table is the best option for the city," said Councilman J. Kelly Huff. "With that being said, (Councilwoman Dr. Julie Metzger Aubuchon) and I were talking, and we know this isn't a sprint. What matters is the outcome. I don't mind pausing, and making sure we have our finger on the citizens' pulse. I think we do, but maybe I'm missing something. Either way, the people who are very vocal about this will get their answer. It is not my nature to give in to bullies, but it's not about me; it is about what is the best for the city."
The survey will be mailed to residents of Florence after a revision to include a question pushed by those who want to save the aquatic center: "Do you want the pool to be demolished?"
Councilman Gary Winn wondered when they could get information out to the residents, and Whalen said they would use the lists from the tax bills, and the water bills, and then encourage any resident who doesn't receive a survey to come into the city building to get one.
Winn wanted to have an informational mailing beforehand to tell people the survey was on the way.
Metzger Aubuchon said that the mayor's letter summed up the journey the city has been on, and said council felt they were being fiscally responsible with their decisions. Trying to keep a finger on the pulse of the community, she said, is a tiring and daunting task. But they are constantly trying, because they are committed to the city, she said.
"None of us are getting kickbacks," Metzger Aubuchon said. "We're not getting wealthy off of any of these decisions. I laughed when I heard this, and said I must be doing something wrong, because no one has even offered me a Diet Coke for free!"
She said she had read some of the hateful speech some people have put on social media, and she couldn't believe the vitriol.
Still, she said she would love to make a motion to reopen the pool, but that would be premature, and she was willing to go slower, and only make the motion to put off demolishing the pool.
"As Kelly said, this is a not a sprint, but more of a marathon," she said. "Once it's demolished, it's demolished. We're not building it again."
Councilman Josh Walton said he isn't on social media, but he felt that council was setting a dangerous precedent by letting people think the city would do a survey every time people didn't like a decision council made. He said he thought it was extremely important to listen to the constituents, and he appreciated the passion of the people, but council members were elected to make the decisions for the people, that represent the wishes of the people.
Councilman David A. Osborne stressed that a lot of thought and professional opinions went into the decision to close the pool.
"My main concern is that only 4 percent of the population of Florence comes to our pool," he said. "Four percent!! We are very conservative on our money. I would like to see what the survey says. If it comes back favorable on the survey, I would be in favor of opening the pool next year. If it comes back unfavorable, that's a different subject."
Councilman Mel Carroll listed the golf course, the baseball stadium, the senior center, the pool, and two event centers, and said they all have a certain faction of people who really enjoy those services, which for the most part do not make money. None of them have been the money pit that the pool has been, he said, and this year the golf course is more popular than ever.
Carroll said the pool is probably more important to children and families, and he wants to support them, but he also felt that the council should make a decision.
"I think we should fish or cut bait," he summed up. He called for a straw vote.
In the end, council decided that they should examine the pool to see what shape the liner and the pumps are in, and they asked Director of Public Works Eric Hall to find that out and report to council by next week's council meeting. If the pool is already damaged and too expensive to fix, that is also a factor in keeping the pool.
Walton didn't like the option of reopening the pool for one summer, saying it would almost be worse to open it for a year, like a swansong for the pool. He felt it would re-ignite the debate, get people excited about opening the pool, and then in the end, shutting it down. He likened it to inviting people to the Last Supper, a story from the Bible.
"Hopefully both sides of this discussion will be satisfied that we have done a better job of being transparent with these actions," Mayor Whalen said in her letter. "The results of the survey will be made public at a future council meeting, and then the planning and budgeting process for the 2022-2023 fiscal year will be based on those discussions with council about the results."
In other business, Councilman Walton announced that he would be resigning as he is moving his family to Florida to open an insurance office there. While he said that Florence will always be his home, a few doors have closed here and a new one opened in Pompano Beach.
The rest of council wished him well.
New Florence Fire Chief Rodney Wren took the oath of office from Mayor Whalen and received his official fire helmet from outgoing chief Scott Knoll while his wife looked on and several firefighters and EMTs were present.
-Patricia A. Scheyer, RCN contributor
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