EAST SPARTA, Ohio — East Sparta Village Council members unanimously voted to close the Sandy Valley Community Pool. The Village Council said the pool attendance was down, there was not enough staff or lifeguards, and the pool itself needed major and costly repairs.
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"My kids took swim lessons here," said Sandy Valley Community Pool Board President Linda Muir.
Tuesday night, Muir was at the East Sparta Village Council meeting, advocating to keep the beloved pool open.
"I did what I could, myself. I feel like I didn't do enough because it's down. It's not going to run," said Muir.
Many others joined Muir at Tuesday's meeting, a former Sandy Valley Community Pool lifeguard, parents of children, and even folks who used the pool as kids.
"I asked three times what would it take to start the pool and nobody would answer. They're just, they made up their mind and they don't want to hear from any of us," said Julie Blemler, who lives in Magnolia.
When News 5 asked Mayor Don Stropki how much it would cost to keep the pool open, he couldn't provide an exact number. "Not what the village could afford, and a village of 800 residents where we could lean on the residents for the tax money, we just can't do that," said Stropki.
The mayor said the village council is in talks right now about what to do with the pool area. The council is considering different options, like potentially selling the area, soccer fields, a playground, possibly frisbee golf, or potentially a pickleball court.
Many at Tuesday's meeting want to see the pool stay open. Others said they would not mind it closing, saying they'd like to see the village spend money differently.
One village resident said, "This is a complete drain of resources for the community, and 35 years ago, I lived at that pool."
Although the pool would have celebrated 50 years in 2024, some folks still aren't giving up hope the closed pool could be re-opened, just in time to celebrate.
"I want to save the pool, and I'm going to try," said Blemler.
