Nobody wants to see their taxes go up, but Wednesday’s decision by the Barton Community College Board of Trustees to keep the pool open will be worth the cost. We estimate it will be less than $9.50 on a $100,000 home next year, and less than $2.50 a year after that.*

Some good arguments were made on both sides of the issue. One college department manager noted that every department has undergone a 10 percent budget cut, and when an employee leaves the job openings aren’t being refilled in some cases. Earlier this year, the trustees retained two instructors, in theater and journalism, even though letting them go could have saved money. That was also a good decision, even though that money has to be made up somehow. The budget issues are real.

There were pool supporters with suggestions for raising the extra money. Ideas included a partnership with the Great Bend Recreation Commission (or some other county rec commission), starting a college swim team, or asking the community to create and contribute to an endowed fund.

People were told there aren’t other college swim teams to compete against, but one person noted Tabor College has just added swimming, after two years of planning and negotiating with the Marion school district to use its indoor pool. It should be noted, Tabor has the only collegiate men’s swim squad in Kansas, and the University of Kansas has the state’s only women’s swim squad. However, Tabor administrators saw this as a draw for their college. Rusty Allen, Tabor’s vice president of athletics, told the Hillsboro Free Press, “We may have to travel a little further, but there aren’t near as many actual dates (of competition), so it’s very doable. We’ve proven that it’s doable with our bowling team.”

Indeed, other Kansas colleges might want to look at this option, just as they did with wrestling.
Even if this idea sinks, it’s good to know the option is there because BCC is maintaining its facility.

Although Mike Johnson, chairman of the board of trustees, voted with the others to keep the pool open, he noted that support once offered by the Boy Scouts has gone away. This point is often mentioned, but seldom elaborated on. How much support has the college received in the past, and when did it end? Johnson went on to say that the pool, while vital to area high school swim programs, “no longer serves as an integral part of providing recreational or educational services to (BCC) students.”

Trustee John Moshier, however, said the pool can fit into the college’s so-called ENDS Policy of providing personal enrichment opportunities to students. After receiving testimonies and hearing from the community, he said, “I think we’ve seen a lot of personal enrichment today. I’m all in favor of a proposal that doesn’t close the pool.”

As with the Camp Aldrich conference center, this may require taking a fresh look at how the pool is used and marketed.

Another point raised Wednesday: After the pool, what’s next? The college can expect more difficult budget decisions in the future. Eventually, something that is important to someone could come to an end. This happened many years ago, for example, when BCC closed its cosmetology school.

This brings us back to our original premise, that Wednesday’s decision was a good one even if it costs. These are local tax dollars that will go directly to support a local facility and the activities of many local people. The alternative is to throw away an asset that would cost million of dollars to replace.

* That’s a very rough estimate. The actual amount will depend on the county’s valuation, which won’t be known until mid-June. The estimate is based on raising close to $190,800 next year and about $43,000 a year after that.