Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 15, 1990                   TAG: 9003162663
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W1   EDITION: WEST 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SALEM AGREES TO BUILD INDOOR MUNICIPAL SWIMMING POOL

A concept that started as an outdoor swimming pool has grown to plans for an indoor year-round heated facility, presumably at the Salem Civic Center. With that, estimated costs have grown from $1 million to a current $2.3 million.

During its meeting Monday night, council suggested funding the pool out of a proposed $5 million bond issue.

"I've talked about this for 16 years," said Councilman Sonny Tarpley, a big advocate of the and chairman of the swimming-pool committee.

"Are we willing to put it in this bond issue? If not, we shouldn't spend more time working on it."

Since last fall, the committee has toured swimming-pool facilities in Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C.; the University of South Carolina facility in Columbia; and a municipal facility in Rock Hill, S.C. The committee also has met with Roanoke-area swimming-pool dealers and reviewed plans for several types of pools.

Councilman Mac Green said a municipal pool was a project whose time had come.

"I'm not going to settle for a junk swimming pool," Green said. "I'm not ashamed to put in $2 million. I'm in favor of this." Councilmen agreed in their preference for an indoor facility over an outdoor one.

"It's important," Councilman Alex Brown said. "If we limit it to outdoors, everyone will not have an opportunity to use it. This will be something for everyone."

The most current proposal puts the pool's dimensions at 209 feet long and 64 feet wide. Actual construction costs have been estimated at $800,000.

But Mayor Jim Taliaferro cautioned that when costs for showers, lockers, a towel-rental area and locker room are factored in "we're looking at $2 million, minimum." He estimated annual operating costs at $60,000.

A committee composed of Tarpley, Brown, City Manager Randy Smith, Assistant City Manager Forest Jones, Salem Civic Center general manager Carey Harveycutter, and Salem lawyer Morgan Griffith, will study plans for the swimming pool and report their findings to council.

"The committee will get back together once or twice more, so we can begin to negotiate the services of an architect," Smith said. "We want to get rolling on the bond issue by early next month, so we need to fairly quickly get something together."

In another matter, council denied a rezoning request that would have allowed the construction of an apartment building in a South Salem neighborhood.

Alvin J. Everett asked that property at 318 Union St. be rezoned so he could build an eight-unit apartment building.

Residents and owners of nearby property opposed Everett's request, saying the property was too small to accommodate eight apartments and that they wanted to maintain the quiet of their neighborhood.

Council voted 2-2-1 against Everett's request, with Tarpley abstaining.

In other business, council:

Accepted Thomas Bros. Inc.'s $18,700 bid to grade and sod a practice field at Salem High School.

Appointed council members and city administration staff to Virginia Municipal League 1990 policy committees.