Closed Van Buren pool may push amenity-idea meetings

story and photo by Marla Cantrell
[email protected]

While Alma prepares for summer crowds at its water park and Fort Smith ponders a proposal to build its own aquatic center, Van Buren faces another year without a simple swimming pool.

In fact, at the April 19 meeting of the city council, Van Buren resident Jeff Clark brought the subject up after a discussion on new development in the city.

“I’ve lived here for 42 years, all my life, and the town is exactly like it was,” Clark said. “We don’t have a swimming pool. We used to when I was a kid and I loved it but there’s nothing for our kids in our town and I don’t see anybody interested in that. We do have beer downtown but my kids don’t really care for beer.”

Mayor Bob Freeman said he will likely take the issue of what to do with the antiquated structure at Van Buren City Park to the people. In 2005, voters turned down a proposal which would have funded a water park on Pointer Trail East.

“The previous mayor (the late John Riggs) closed the pool because it was simply worn out,” Freeman said. “You might as well build a new pool cost-wise than repair that pool. One of the engineers looked at it and said, ‘The good news is you have a nice hole in the ground.’”

And while a pool would be a nice addition to the city, Freeman said it certainly won’t be profitable.

“The pool will not sustain itself. Mayor Ballentine sees that with the water park in Alma,” Freeman said. “If the community wants a new swimming pool, the community is going to have to find the funds to construct one. We can’t do it with what we’ve got right now.”

Alma Mayor John Ballentine agrees it’s not a money maker, although it does bring traffic to the small town. The Alma facility initially cost the city $1 million. Last year, Alma spent $250,000 to operate the water park and cleared approximately $30,000. Still, Ballentine believes it is an asset to the city. The proposed water park at Ben Geren in Fort Smith is expected to cost between $4.75 million and $7.5 million, depending on which plan is selected.

Then there’s the issue of whether something other than a pool would be a better fit. Freeman said a splash park with a series of colorful water fountains for children, much like the one at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Fort Smith, comes at a lesser cost, without the need of a lifeguard and could be constructed on the site of the current pool at Van Buren City Park.

And if not a splash park, then maybe something that serves a greater portion of the community.

“Maybe we should take care of some of the immediate needs we have like a new police station and fire station and look farther out,” Freeman said. “And then look at a community center that has an indoor pool because my personal concerns with a swimming pool is that it operates three months out of the year and then it just sits there.”

Freeman said the city will eventually set up public meetings to get input from residents, although no dates have been set. There may be an even better idea waiting to be discovered. Until then, the emphasis will remain on the essentials necessary to keep Van Buren operating.

“With the economy like it is, we’re focusing on infrastructure and maintaining emergency services,” Freeman said. “We do expect things to improve, but we’re not spending money we don’t have.”