Not only did that referendum speak to the desire of the citizens to have a place to swim in the colder months of the year, it spoke of their passion to want another park built — Chockoyette — that would provide soccer fields, softball fields and a picnic area.

That bond referendum also funded the renovation of outdoor pools at T.J. Davis as well as Chaloner and the repair and addition of athletic field lights throughout the city.

In 2014, nearly 25 years later, the dehumidifier at the Aquatic Center is in a state of disrepair and the center, right now, is all but shut down.

Engineering plans are in and the city is about to submit proposals to determine how much new equipment will cost.

One thing is clear, the city must repair this situation or it clearly becomes a breech of the confidence citizens placed in city leadership nearly a quarter of a century ago.

It doesn't matter that there is a new council sitting now. The vote cast by the people was a binding contract signed at the polls.

We understand the current situation the city is in and Mayor Emery Doughtie spoke to that situation during a budget work session Wednesday, saying it's time to get serious about marketing the theater to rid the city of its cumbersome payments that keep services at only sustainable levels when, without that payment, we would be in a much better situation.

The fact, that for now, we are stuck with the theater, doesn't discount the message voters delivered at the polls in the summer of 1989.

We believe the Aquatic Center needs to be fully functioning as, in essence, it serves as healing waters for those suffering from arthritis and other ailments that the warmth of its waters soothe.

Some 100 to 120 people used the pool for these purposes three times a week before the dehumidifier broke and there is no other place in the city large enough to accommodate this amount of people.

“The impact that these classes have on the seniors in our community and their daily lives is immeasurable,” Denise Beaver told city council last month. “Without these classes I worry about what will happen to the women and men who need these classes to reduce their pain and keep active. If these classes helped me — imagine how they help men and women 30 and 40 years older than myself.”

Both Doughtie and City Manager Joseph Scherer said following that meeting they could not say closing the Aquatic Center is not an option.

Because the Aquatic Center was stamped by a vote of the citizens we believe that closing the Aquatic Center should not be an option at all and would be a breech of the confidence the voters placed in the city.

The matter goes beyond the health benefits scores of elderly citizens receive from its use. It is a place where swim meets are held, it is a place used by many for their daily exercise where running or walking may not be an option and it is an amenity that could factor in to someone deciding to live here or elsewhere.

As we await to see what the cost proposals will be — early estimates show between $250,00 to $300,000 — we think the city must prepare itself to fix the problem.

Scherer has been savvy in proposing to use installment financing to address the city's capital needs for the upcoming fiscal year and we believe this may be the best option for funding the new dehumidifier because, as we see it, closing the Aquatic Center is not, and should not, be an option. Anything short of fixing the problem would be a breech of the trust the citizens placed upon the city in 1989 to build and maintain a facility that has far too many benefits to be ignored — Editor