Council this evening unanimously approved the $275,000 needed to replace the broken equipment, two weeks after it pulled the matter from its agenda, a packed Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall audience applauding the decision.
“It's fantastic,” Quast said during a break in the meeting. “It's democracy in action.”
Quast said the team was looking at options, including buying wetsuits to save the season. “We had no other option. We thought our season was dead in the water.”
Now the team will begin practice on October 27.
The decision came after council had scrapped the matter from its October 7 agenda because of confusion on where the money was going to come from.
While $220,000 of the funds was slated to come from the Roanoke RapidsTheater Lease line item, it was not actually theater payment money that was going to be used. It is really money coming from the city's cash reserve fund, City Manager Joseph Scherer said. Another $55,000 is coming from the city Privilege License line item.
Jim Miller, who served as engineering consultant for the project, told council two components of the dehumidifier failed. “My concern was we were doing fine during the summer months but if it gets cold enough, the air on the surface sweats and causes mold growth.”
Parks and Recreation Director John Simeon confirmed to council the Aquatic Center will remain open under its normal operating hours. He said swim teams will be able to practice and the center will continue to offer some arthritis classes, the full slate of classes returning when the new dehumidifier is installed.
The city is expected to order the equipment by the end of the week, Simeon said afterward. The fabrication timetable is roughly eight weeks and delivery and installation will take another four weeks.
For Austin Taylor, a member of the Roanoke Rapids swim team, council's decision, “Means a lot. It means everything.”
Like Taylor, James Evans is a senior and wanted to end his high school career swimming. “I'm very happy it's still going to be open. I was worried about that.”
