More definitive pool proposal needed
I’ve been following the news regarding the proposal to address the aging Lake Monticello swimming pool with dismay. I find it hard to believe that the Lake Monticello Owners’ Association Board of Directors is asking the residents to approve spending almost $1 million for a yet-to-be-defined pool improvement or replacement project.
Lake Monticello has long had amenities that were dispersed around the community, such as golf and food service at the golf course, sports fields and tennis at Bunker Field, the fishing lake, and the clubhouse, restaurant, pool and main beach at Ashlawn. This distribution of amenities is reflected in the values of all of our homes, and when the local Realtors bring prospective homebuyers to the clubhouse, pool and main beach area (as they always do), the community sells itself. I know – it sold me!
Now the Board, with no apparent clear plan, wants the residents to approve spending some $900,000-plus for a pool facility of unknown configuration somewhere in or near to the community. For me, this is a non-starter. It’s a pig in a poke! “Just trust us” just doesn’t fly these days.
I am familiar with another pool that I am a member of in another community. They had their 50-year-old pool completely rehabilitated by a company whose business is pool repair and rehabilitation. They replaced the deck and utilities, added underwater LED lighting, and added a heater so they could extend the season until the end of September. Their pool is a five-lane 25-meter-long pool with a diving well having both 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards – so it is about the same size as the Lake Monticello pool. Like us, they have a kiddie pool as well. The cost for the complete project was in the $250,000-$300,000 range. Why can’t we at the Lake do likewise?
Bottom line is that I will be voting no on the pool proposal, and I will be urging friends and neighbors to do likewise. What we need is a more definitive proposal and one that is financially responsible with our funds.
Clem Berard
Lake Monticello
