Andrews, Snowbird partner to open pool

    Andrews – The lack of money to renovate and prepare the town pool for reopening motivated officials to reconsider using it months before COVID-19 threatened the government’s finances; the coronavirus pandemic simply strengthened their hesitation.
    Town officials announced in April that the pool behind the community center off Main Street would not reopen for 2020. However, a partnership with a local gospel-driven discipleship camp changed those plans.
    “I would rather have the pool open, with the town able to use it a few days a week, than to let it sit and not be open at all,” Brody Holloway, lead pastor of Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters, said while explaining why he changed his mind after initially declining to partner with the town when approached about it last winter.
    “Since we’re doing this, the pool will be available to the town every weekend, where otherwise it would’ve stayed closed.”
    The state Local Government Commission has overseen the Town of Andrews’ finances since 2017, largely because its unreserved fund balance is significantly less than the recommended 8 percent of annual expenses. The decline of sales tax revenues due to business shutdowns associated with COVID-19 further threatened the town’s finances, forcing leaders to make tough decisions, such as slashing library appropriations for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
    Mayor James Reid approached Holloway before the pandemic seeking a solution to fund the pool’s renovation and reopening, although Snowbird did not have a practical use for the facility at that time. Since Gov. Roy Cooper’s guidelines force Snowbird to divide camp attendees into traveling cohorts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the organization has a use for the town’s pool today.
    “We have our own pool, but it’s small,” Holloway said. “Since we have to keep kids spread out, this will help us.”
    Under the interlocal agreement signed by both parties last week, Snowbird will pay for most of the expenses associated with reopening the town’s pool in exchange for using the facility four days a week.
    “We were quoted $3,200 to put new drainage grates in the pool, but the town can’t afford that,” Reid said. “Snowbird said, ‘We got this.’
    “Other than paying for water and the electric bill, which we would have to do anyway, they’re covering all of our startup costs. Their maintenance guy even found a leak in our pool. Fixing it will save us probably 50,000 gallons of water a week.”
    The agreement allows Snowbird to use the town’s pool from Tuesdays through Fridays. The pool will be open to the general public from 5 p.m. Fridays through Monday evenings.
    “It’ll be like two church groups sharing the same church,” Reid said. “They have a full insurance policy that we’ve been added to, so we are 100 percent covered if anything happens while they’re using our pool.”
    Snowbird will continue to use its own pool on their campground and transport two cohorts to the Andrews Pool four days a week. The organization will also sanitize the facility according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention guidelines between cohorts before handing over the keys to Andrews officials at the end of each week.
    “There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs or water playgrounds,” the CDC’s website says. “Additionally, proper operation of these aquatic venues and disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) should inactivate the virus.”
    Snowbird will pay for lifeguards on days its organization uses the pool. Andrews will cover that expense on the remaining days.
    “I really appreciate the partnership we have with the leadership in Andrews right now,” Holloway said. “It’s a partnership of cooperation that’s allowing a lot of people to enjoy resources that otherwise they wouldn’t be able to enjoy. [Both parties] worked hard to make this happen so there’s something normal for people to enjoy in the middle of all this craziness.”
    Snowbird expects to use the pool until mid-August, when schooling across the country is anticipated to restart, either in person or remotely. If schools in Cherokee County do not restart in August, Andrews may keep the pool open to the public during the week through September.
    “This partnership helps us out because we want to have weekend pool parties for kids’ birthdays; those are our high-paying events,” Reid said. “We’re even planning a town employee pool party.
    “I’d also like to have a huge cookout and picnic for everyone who lives in Andrews for Labor Day. We’ll furnish hotdogs and hamburgers and enjoy Labor Day together because we’ve been locked up for so long. I think it would be a home run.”
    Andrews is searching for additional pool lifeguards. Contact town hall to apply.