City pool, sidewalks come up at meeting

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It’s been nearly two years since the topic was discussed at length and now it appears it will return to the forefront.

During Monday night’s meeting of Van Wert City Council, Fourth Ward Councilman Eric Hurless said he wants to revisit and continue conversations about a municipal pool that began in early 2024. He also said if there’s community support, he wants to see the project come to fruition.

“I’m hoping we can pick that ball back up,” Hurless said. “I know that’s a thing a lot of the people in this community would like to see happen.”

Hurless also volunteered to lead future discussions.

When the idea of a pool was first discussed nearly two years ago, an estimate of $7.5 million was shared with members of council. There was discussion of forming a committee to study a pool and at one point, former At-Large Councilwoman Judy Bowers said she had a group of approximately 30 citizens that had a vision for the pool. However, that information or the names of the people in the group was never shared by Bowers, who is no longer a member of council.

If council eventually decides to move ahead with the idea, it would likely wind up on the ballot, meaning city voters would likely have the final say.

“Council can’t raise anybody’s taxes,” Mayor Ken Markward said. “What council can do is put a question on the ballot and see whether or not people will support it.”

While very little was discussed during Monday night’s meeting, First Ward Councilman Jeff Agler voiced a concern about the idea.

“The big problem with a pool is it’s open June, July and a couple of weeks in August and it can’t sustain itself, it can’t bring in enough money,” Agler stated.

Hurless said he has ideas but did not explain further.

On a different topic, At-Large Councilman Hall Block said he’d like to see more sidewalks that connect neighborhoods around the city. While sidewalks are required in new developments, there are other areas of town that have no sidewalks. He cited areas such as Wal-Mart, Van Wert City Schools, and Chief Supermarket. Law Director John Hatcher stated there would be right of way issues with some property ownesr, along with the significant cost of installing sidewalks in many areas.

“I do think that we need to have better sidewalk connection comprehensively and I’m trying to think of different ways we can do that,” Block said.

The matter is expected to be discussed at future meetings.

In other business, Markward thanked city plow crews for their efforts during and after Sunday’s winter storm.

“They’ve had long days,” Markward said. “They can’t just go all the time because they have to have breaks so even though they’re constantly in motion, it’s a real logistics problem because they don’t really get to schedule it like they do other things.”

Council members also heard a brief presentation from Visit Van Wert Executive Director Kim Fleming about the organization’s passport campaign, which is tied to the America 250 celebration. It give people the opportunity to exploring the people, places, and stories that make Van Wert special. More information can be found at visitvanwert.com.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, February 9, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.