By KATY SAVAGE
[email protected]
CHARLESTOWN — Members of the Pool Committee attended Wednesday night’s select board meeting out of concern that the town’s newest select board member didn’t support making necessary pool repairs.
Albert St. Pierre, who was voted to a three-year select board seat on Town Meeting Day, is one of three people on the board. St. Pierre told the Eagle Times that he didn’t have an opinion about the pool and what the Pool Committee heard were “just rumors,” though he wasn’t ready to decide if he supported the pool or not.
St. Pierre planned to attend a Recreation Committee meeting to get more information around the pool’s needs.
“Like with anything, I need more information before I can make a decision,” St. Pierre said.
A group of three women formed the Pool Committee in January to start fundraising toward the needed $100,000 of repairs to replace the interior and fix the concrete deck.
The Pool Committee members, Nicole Hobart, Michelle Herrington and Kelly Guerriere, met at the pool and became friends.
They have raised $2,300 since the end of January through a father daughter dance and raffle ticket sales. They created a Facebook
page and they host Facebook live videos to announce winners of the raffles.
“It’s something we want to keep for the kids,” Hobart said of the pool.
Voters allocated $30,000 to create a pool rehabilitation fund on Town Meeting Day March 13.
The public pool ages back to the mid-1970s and is used in summers by children and families.
In addition to fundraising, the Recreation Department planned to ask voters for $30,000 over three years.
The $30,000 voters approved on Town Meeting Day can’t be used for anything else unless voters approve reallocating the funds at the next Town Meeting.
The pool committee was looking for select board support.
“They seemed pretty passionate about it,” said St. Pierre.
This was Charlestown’s first select board meeting since Town Meeting Day. Select board member Tom Cobb was elected chair for the year.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.