TRUMBULL COUNTY Hubbard sets plan for pool reopening

Union concessions will reduce overhead at the community pool.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- School officials are hoping to reopen the Hubbard Community Pool by the first of the year.
Lucille Esposito, interim superintendent, said Tuesday that concessions made by the unions representing school district employees and anticipated increased revenue will allow for the reopening.
The facility was closed in December 2003 after Peter M. Marchese, Trumbull County's chief building inspector, ordered the closure because the building on Hall Avenue, in the high school-middle school complex, was unsafe and needed structural repairs.
"We have to make it safe," Esposito asserted.
The cost of the work will not be known until the bids are received in August, and the repair timetable depends on the availability of steel and other materials, she explained.
Decision-makers
The concessions, Esposito said, were made by the Hubbard Education Association and Ohio Association of Public School Employees, which represents the nonteaching staff.
For example, a custodian will open and close the pool and not remain at the facility for an entire shift. Also, the position of pool secretary was abolished and a new position of program director will not be under union jurisdiction.
Esposito said the concessions will enable the pool to operate more economically. The concessions, she added, won't affect the educational process.
During the past several months, she pointed out, the school board has explored the idea of working with the city and Hubbard Township to repair and reopen the pool.
However, Esposito said, funding and legal issues were major obstacles.
The school board has also been unable to pass a pool levy.
The pool was opened to the public in 1975, although the school district paid for its operation. It was costing the district about $235,000 annually to run it.
New features
Once the pool is reopened, it will be operated by a governing body, which will include representatives of the board, two unions and community members.
Esposito explained that plans call for hiring a program director to attract more senior citizens and establishing other revenue-generating programs, including extending hours.
Diane McAllen, local OAPSE president, said, "Our union made these concessions because we believe that the Hubbard Community Pool is a positive asset for our students and our residents."
"The teachers union is willing to help reopen this pool for the good of our students and the community as well," added Robin Vauple, HEA president.
Board member Jack Murphy said that, although the repairs will cost the district money, the union concessions will be able to reduce overhead.
"We have a commitment to our students, to our student athletes, to our senior citizens and to this community as a whole to fix our pool," asserted board member Don Newell.
yovich@vindy.com