Seward commits $200,000 a year to keep community pool open

Seward will put $200,000 a year toward keeping the community swimming pool open under an agreement the City Council approved unanimously on June 22.

The council authorized the city manager to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District for the Seward pool. The measure passed 7-0, with Mayor Sue McClure and council members Calhoon, Barnwell, Crites, Warner, Osenga and Draper voting yes.

Under the agreement, the borough will continue to own the facility and handle capital maintenance, structural repairs and mechanical upkeep. The school district will run day-to-day operations, including staffing, programming, fees, revenues and financial reporting.

The city's annual $200,000 contribution begins Jan. 1, 2027. Pool operations from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, will be funded from existing school district pool-operation account balances.

The agreement requires the facility to operate year-round, subject to maintenance, emergencies, staffing and school district closures. The pool must be open to the public at least 25 hours a week on a monthly average for public swim, lap swim or other community aquatic programs.

The pool also must be available for city programming at no cost, school district instructional swim programs during the school year and community user groups under approved facility-use agreements.

If the pool-operation account exceeds $75,000, the agreement requires the district to treat the extra money as surplus and return up to $200,000 to the city within 60 days after fiscal-year-end accounting. If the account falls below $75,000, the city has no obligation beyond its fixed contribution unless all parties agree in writing.