Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 Editorial • Roosevelt Pool questions need to be answered once and for all

Publisher’s note: This editorial originally appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 edition of the Lassen County Times.

As the Honey Lake Valley Recreation Authority moves forward with its charge to bring a community swimming pool to Susanville and Lassen County, one thorny issue remains unresolved — the viability of Roosevelt Pool.

Susanville City Councilmember Lino Callegari has long championed the fight that the proper and most cost-effective way to proceed would be to refurbish Roosevelt Pool. Apparently, he is not alone in that opinion, which he says many local residents share.

Others in the community believe, as the newspaper opined in January 2005 just after the pool was closed, “Even the most skeptical person cannot deny the impossibility of any future use of Susanville’s Roosevelt Pool,” and “Last week, the deterioration engineer Robert Harp presented to the Susanville City Council left no doubt it is unsafe to let anyone near the popular pool … ”

Talk about a gap in perception. Obviously these two views are about as polarized and opposite as can be. Is there a way to resolve this issue once and for all? Yes, there is.

Kudos to the newly formed Honey Lake Valley Recreation Authority Governing Board — comprised of two members of the Susanville City Council, two members from the Lassen County Board of Supervisors and an independent community member — for taking a two-pronged approach to the possibility of bringing a pool to our community.

At the same time the authority seeks information about possible sites for a new community pool, it is also taking a hard look at the issues surrounding the renovation of Roosevelt Pool.

Brian Wilson, the board’s president, told Callegari the authority would look into the possibility of restoring Roosevelt Pool, and he’s honoring that pledge.

This must be great news for Callegari and those who agree with his perspective Roosevelt Pool can be brought back into service for far less money than it will cost to build a new pool.

The authority is sending out requests for proposal for qualified engineering and design firms to review all the possibilities and issues surrounding the return of Roosevelt Pool to service. The authority has not made any decisions in this regard, but is asking the engineering and design firms to do the analysis and then report on its findings.

At this point, no one knows the future of the old Roosevelt Pool, but the good news is the authority is asking the questions even as it reviews the possibility of other pool sites throughout the city of Susanville.

At the time the pool closed, the city simply followed the engineer’s advice and closed the facility. Until now, no one apparently has figured out what it might cost to put the facility back into operation. Someone should.

Callegari, the residents who agree with him and our entire community deserve to know the answer to that question before a new pool costing millions of dollars is built. Given the cost, the state of the economy and the community’s will, refurbishing Roosevelt Pool could turn out to be the best answer.

Once the engineers review the facility and report back on its condition and the possibilities, the authority will have the information it needs to make a responsible decision.

We await their report.