Pool supporters eye city parks' future

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Less than one week after exceeding their goal, the head of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks had a message for residents: "Let's go swimming."

Steve Faber, who leads the organization that held a 10-day fund drive to open pools at Briggs and Martin Luther King parks, told city commissioners Tuesday morning $178,000 was raised. The goal was $175,000.

A third pool at Richmond Park will open with donations from local businessman Bob Sullivan. The city will contribute $125,000 to the effort.

That's still about $60,000 short of what it would take to keep the pools open for a full seven-week session. Since donated money is still coming in, city commissioners decided to keep the pools open until the money runs out.

"We also have the potential to offset that cost with fees," Mayor George Heartwell said.

Current plans do not have children paying an entrance fee for the pools.

"We estimated if children were charged $1, it would raise an additional $35,000," City Manager Greg Sundstrom said.

No decision was made on the fee.

Pools will open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, beginning July 5.

City Parks and Recreation Director Jay Steffen said while the money is available, he is not sure he will have enough people on hand to open them. He still needs lifeguards, attendants, pool managers and others to run the operation, he said.

"We're scrambling to get those pools ready for that opening," Steffen told 24 Hour News 8.

Faber admits the 10-day fundraising effort was not the best way to get the pools open. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks also is looking at ways to find not only pools, but other parks and recreation services for city residents.

"When we agreed to run this campaign, we received assurances for the city that all the cards were on the table and there was no bad ideas," Faber said.

His group will look at more permanent, public and private partnerships to help fund city parks. It will also examine ways the city and Kent County could combine some services as a way to create cost savings through efficiencies.

In the past, Heartwell has floated the idea of a millage to fund combined city and county parks.

Faber declined to give many details, but did say that too could be part of future conversations on park funding.