Youth and Rec

YOUTH AND RECREATION Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers – Olean Municipal Building Present: Members: Chairman Forney, Vice Chairman McCall, Alderman Crawford, Alderman Robinson, and Alderman Anastasia. Others: Alderman Bennion; Alderman Keary; Mayor Amy Sherburne; Lens Martial, City Auditor; Keri Kerper, Community Development Program Coordinator; James Sprague, Director of Public Works; Eric Maurouard, Fire Chief; Ryan Reed, Code Enforcement Officer; Kris Shewairy, Youth and Recreation Division Supervisor, and Tiffany Taylor, Managerial Confidential Administrative Secretary. 1. Roll Call Alderman Forney called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked that the record show that all committee members were present. 2. Approval of Minutes of the Previous Committee Meeting (Tuesday, February 17, 2026) A motion to approve the minutes of the February 17, 2026 committee meeting was made by Alderman Anastasia, seconded by Alderman Crawford. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. 3. Unfinished Business a. War Vets Pool Alderman Crawford explained he thinks there is a misconception in the community that the City has abandoned the pool. Ms. Kerper explained we applied to DASNY in partnership with Parks under the first NYSWIMS program and were successful in receiving the grant funding. She explained she used the estimate CPL had originally prepared and ultimately we were awarded the grant for 80% of the cost with a 20%a local match, including both construction and engineering / design work. She explained we were awarded $704,988 and the City match is $176,246.93. She advised we borrowed for this amount, and during the borrowing meeting she had requested to add in additional contingency for any unforeseen circumstances, overruns or change orders, so there is an additional $78,788.07 borrowed for that. She explained we have that cash on hand, and have incurred costs from CPL to date. She explained her office has done four reimbursements to DASNY to date in the amount of $53,735. Director Sprague explained the low bid for the construction portion was for $1,090,300 and the second bid was for $1,886,000. He explained we are already well above what we have in terms of grant funding, and he is concerned there will be change orders based on the condition of the tile and lining in the pool that was just discovered. Alderman McCall explained we have $959,000 on hand for the construction so that leaves us with a shortfall of about $41,000. Ms. Kerper explained $799,000 is the amount we have for construction, plus the $78,000 for contingency, so that is $877,000 we have on hand for construction. She explained we also have administrative and technical services costs that will come from the grant. Alderman Crawford explained there is a gap of $215,000 gap, and that is on top of the City already kicking in $176,000. Mr. Shewairy explained they drained the pool last week and found substantial, numerous issues with the wall and tiles. He explained it is going to be a high cost, should we move forward, and he is one hundred percent against moving forward. He explained if we so, we should get the costs to do things the right way so we don’t have issues in the future, as well as getting a cover for the pool. Alderman Robinson asked if there was a cover before, and Mr. Shewairy explained one was purchased in 2000 for $25,000 and it deteriorated and was not replaced. Alderman Robinson explained we have talked before about getting rid of the pool and the entire City and prior mayor wanted the pool, which is why we went out for a grant. He asked if there has been discussion about reducing the footprint of the pool, considering it is a large pool and reducing the footprint would hopefully reduce the costs. Mr. Shewairy explained it is a possibility. He explained the pool is 47 years old, and was great 47 years ago but is obsolete now. He explained the Council previously held a meeting at the pool, and no one swims in the pool. He explained if we are going to be putting money into the pool it has to be marketed and used. He explained we are going to have a brand new splash park with a cement pond next to it. Alderman Forney explained we have heard this a couple of times, but we can take it and modernize it to make it so people want to use it. She explained we can add cabanas to tie in the colors of the splash pad, and she feels together it is a good package especially if we are trying to cater to families with kids of multiple ages who might be older for the splash park. She explained as far as revenue and costs, we maybe have to increase the ticket prices or make it a package deal with the splash pad. She explained we can have swim programs back and invest in lifeguards. She explained she feels we can take the idea of marketing and promotion and modernize the cement box. She explained there will be more visibility because of the splash park and more of a reason for people to be there. Alderman Crawford asked if the Council can be given an idea of what the bid includes. He asked what the $1.1 million we are looking at will cover, and asked if it is just to do a new filtration room and filtration work, or if any new concrete or cement deck would be done. Director Sprague explained most of the bid is really for piping back and forth in the filtration room. Alderman Bennion explained the list includes what needed to be done at the time, and then it got kicked down the road over and over again and he feels it was evident that others were not in favor of the pool, which is the reason it was deliberately stalled and led to further deterioration. He asked if the tile had been reworked previously and Mr. Shewairy explained it was before he was in this position. Ms. Kerper explained when we got a grant to redo the recreation center the City worked with the State, County, and Senator Young and put $4 million into the recreation center. She explained at that time the State would not put any money into the pool and said it was too much of a liability for them to participate, so we eliminated the deep end and did marcite repairs and tile work from the deck down so many inches. She explained the City paid for this in its entirety. Mr. Shewairy explained the repairs were done for ten inches down from the skimmer around the pool. He explained that area sounds fine, but the walls seem hollow below that. Mr. Shewairy explained he hopes the Council understands that it will cost $55,000 to $60,000 a year to operate the pool, and if prices keep increasing, that cost will be more. Alderman Crawford explained he appreciates Mr. Shewairy’s honesty. He explained a couple of years ago the Council voted to replace the pool and the administration was quiet on how useless the pool was. He explained the council was here to negotiate with the administration who wanted to keep the pool. He explained he appreciates the honesty, but now we have this grant funding and he feels we need to figure out a solution to what we are faced with. Alderman McCall explained it seems we could replace the tiles with marcite, and Mr. Shewairy explained he is not a pool engineer. He explained he only knows we need to do something, and it is going to cost money. Alderman Bennion explained the pool needs to be marketed, but it is not the Council’s job to market the pool. He explained he believes that it doesn’t get used, and he thinks when people come to the splash pad, older kids won’t want to use it, and with the pool the whole family can come out and enjoy time. He explained we might see the splash park increase attendance at the pool. Mr. Shewairy explained the pool is open only seven or eight weeks a year. He explained he feels a better use for that land would be a field house that would have 12 month utilization. He explained we could offer ice skating and roller skating at the same time, and allow for pickleball leagues, which is the number one fastest growing sport in the country. He explained he has been with the City almost 24 years, 16 of which are with the recreation department. He explained he has worked that pool a long time and every year the use is less and less and less, which is heartbreaking. He explained if the ice facility can bring in $280,000, we need to think of what a field house with 12 month utilization could bring in. He explained we need thinks that we can use year round and that can save costs to taxpayers. He explained the Council always says the stadium loses money, and it does, but the pool is going to lose more. He asked the Council to consider all of this. Alderman Robinson explained he agreed with this when the whole issue came up. He explained he has said a lot about the pool and how it was losing money, but he has learned he cannot allow his personal beliefs to guide him in this position and he needs to make decisions for his constituents when they are asking for something. He explained we talked about this before and it was decided that the pool would get done, and asked why the wall was not taken into consideration or this RFP. He explained all costs seem to be for the pool decking and filter system. He explained an ADA lift, pool filters, pumps, the pool deck, ladders and the fence for safety were previously mentioned, but not the wall. He explained with the reconstruction he would have thought that the entire pool was being redone, and he does not understand why the walls are separate. Alderman Crawford explained he seems to remember the prior administration conveying that when the pool was built, it was built with specific funding from New York State that mandated that it be maintained and operated as a municipal pool, and he asked if this is something that we know anything positive about. He asked if we can look into this and see if there is a covenant tied to the pool that requires the City to maintain and operate it as a municipal pool. Alderman McCall explained she was not in favor of the pool, and explained it was part of her understanding when she voted to keep it that we were required to do so. She explained she thinks it could be made into a complex and she would value having something that we can utilize all year, but the Council was told it had to be kept as a pool. Mayor Sherburne asked the Council their threshold on this and how much they are willing to spend. She explained are already looking into a $400,000 contribution from the City, and she does not want to continue with research and engineering if the Council is not going to pay what is required to fix this. She explained we are already over budget and there are other important needs we have to consider. She explained it would be great if we could afford this and absorb the unforeseen changes, but she doesn’t have the confidence that we can do that after going through the budget process and seeing what we cut. She explained she is not confident adding $50,000 or more into the budget just to run the pool. She explained the Council needs to decide if we can afford $400,000 more for the pool. Alderman Forney explained it seems like we have already closed the pool down, and Mayor Sherburne explained she does not like the cost for it. Alderman Forney asked where the money is going to come from the get rid of the pool, take care of the cement piping and renovate the land. Mayor Sherburne explained it is probably a lot easier to fill it than to rebuild it, and Alderman Forney questioned how far down the road this would happen. She explained we will have a decrepit pool next to the splash pad we are trying to market. Alderman Bennion explained it is not if the wall needs to be repaired or replaced. He explained it can be stripped down and we can do a concrete wall. He explained the Council has decided what they want, and it seems the tactic is to wait and drive the costs up. Mayor Sherburne explained she cannot say what the tactic was before she was here, but we have gone out to bid and we are here now. She explained this has been debated, and now she questions how much the Council is willing to spend. She explained we cut critical items from the budget, and we are already over what we thought the cost would be. She questioned the number the Council has in their mind, that at that number, they will not go further. Alderman Bennion explained he is not willing to say because if the Council provides this information, then the bid will be out-quoted to be above the amount the Council is willing to spend. He explained we need to go out to bid to get the amount to fix the pool, and fix it the right way. Alderman Robinson explained we are beating a dead horse, and he wants to see the costs associated with the repairs and if shrinking the footprint is necessary. Alderman Keary explained he would also like to know more about the possible covenant with the State, and the cost to reconstruct the area for another use. Alderman Anastasia explained it was discussed previously removing the pool and putting the splash pad in its place, but the Council thought having both would bring more people in. He explained the Council wants the pool and residents want the pool, so we should just do it. Alderman Forney explained she would like to know what the original design scope was, and Alderman Crawford explained he would like to see the bids. Director Sprague explained he will send this information to the Council. Alderman Crawford noted CPL should be checking the background and references of bidders so that we do not end up under construction for a three year period. He asked if we can contact CPL about possible other ideas and change orders, and Director Sprague explained we can write change orders, additions or deductions on projects. He cautioned the Council that we need to be careful that we do not effectively redesign the project and use the existing bid, as this could expose the City to a serious challenge from the unsuccessful bidder. Alderman Robinson explained in November this was discussed and then again before the budget, and at that time we were waiting for more information. He asked why we have the quotes from back in 2024 and Ms. Kerper explained this is the estimate that was used to do the NYSWIMS application. Director Sprague explained the bids are from a couple of weeks ago, and Alderman Bennion explained the 2024 numbers are a CPL estimate. Director Sprague explained he will get CPL’s project manager on the phone and will put together a plan on how to fill in the information gaps. Alderman Robinson asked that this be discussed in two weeks. 4. New Referrals for Consideration a. Portable Toilets in Parks Item postponed for two weeks while awaiting additional information. 5. Committee Reports None  6. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Alderman Forney, seconded by Alderman McCall. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at approximately 7:45 p.m.