The Mary Siah Pool is again on the chopping block for closure after the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly made budget adjustments during a marathon 10-hour workshop on Saturday.
Assembly members voted 6-3 to eliminate staffing positions, supplies, and services for Mary Siah Pool, resulting in a net savings of about $68,000.
Assembly member Tammie Wilson led the motion while acknowledging that Mary Siah Pool has a strong support base among its users, including senior citizens. However, she cited costs, the building’s age, and continuing maintenance as a drain on borough resources.
“We currently have three pools, not counting the one at the university, and in my opinion, a lot of them are still underutilized,” Wilson said. “I know this is going to be very hard for the community and we will hear from them, but at the same time it’s a very costly facility.”
The borough operates Wescott Memorial Pool in North Pole and Hamme Pool in Fairbanks. For several years, the borough has struggled to keep its pools open during regular hours due to a shortage of lifeguards. Additionally, each pool has been closed for months at a time for regular maintenance or significant renovation.
Wilson added that the Assembly must find cuts to reduce the proposed $9.5 million draw from the borough’s fund balance, as outlined by Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins.
“We have to have these discussions because we’re drawing on our savings and we can’t do that year after year,” Wilson said.
Assembly member Mindy O’Neall noted her continued “no” votes on Mary Siah renovation projects over the last five years.
“We continue to put money into a facility that is on its last legs,” O’Neall said. She added that the money spent on Mary Siah renovations could have been set aside to help pay for a proposed aquatics facility currently listed in the borough’s Capital Improvement Plan. The proposed North Star athletic center, which includes the aquatic facility, carries a tentative $90 million price tag and remains only a concept.
O’Neall argued the $68,000 should be set aside for such a fund rather than being swept back into the general fund.
Assembly members Scott Crass, David Guttenberg, and Kristan Kelly disagreed with closing Mary Siah.
Guttenberg argued the pool should remain open until “we have a plan to build something to replace it.”
“Mary Siah is different than other pools,” Guttenberg said. “We’ve had that dialogue before where people say that two or three-degree difference in water temperature makes a huge difference for the seniors and children who use it.”
Crass cited drowning-related public safety concerns as a primary reason to keep Mary Siah open, so that it can continue facilitating swimming instruction.
Hopkins, the borough mayor, also opposed the closure.
He noted that the pool has a groundswell of support among its users. In 2023, when the Assembly last considered closing Mary Siah, several residents argued for keeping the pool open. People cited that it was easy for senior citizens to access the facility and that the water temperature was warmer than at Hamme Pool or the University of Alaska Fairbanks pool.
Hopkins agreed with Crass that there’s a demand for swimming lessons, but providing that service depends on staffing as the borough tries to hire more lifeguards.
Hopkins also acknowledged that all three pools are aging and require recurring maintenance. He said the Assembly has funded major short-term renovations while the borough considers a long-term solution.
“If we want to eliminate these costs from these three pools to save ourselves operating costs ... then there is an opportunity to move forward with a funding mechanism, but it’s not cheap,” Hopkins said.
The Assembly voted 6-3 on the budget amendment. However, the decision does not currently affect Mary Siah’s operations until after the Assembly votes on the final budget. The amendment could pass or be reversed.
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for May 1 at the Juanita Helms Administration Center, 907 Terminal St. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
Close the Carlson Center?
Wilson also moved to cut funding for the John A. Carlson Community Center, which she said would save the borough $722,000. The Carlson Center has a $1.1 million operational cost and an estimated $446,000 in revenue for the upcoming budget year.
“This conversation has been happening forever,” she said. She argued the borough has had to supplement the Carlson Center annually by at least $500,000. She later called the center “something that is nice but not necessarily necessary.”
The amendment failed in a 4-5 vote, with Assembly members Barbara Haney, Liz Reeves-Ramos, and Brett Rotermund supporting the idea.
The topic of closing the Carlson Center sparked a heated debate.
“It’s government-subsidized entertainment for a select group of people,” Rotermund said.
He called it a tough assessment of the borough’s Parks and Recreation Department in general, but “that’s just the reality.”
“Parks and Recreation is enjoyed by a lot of people, but not necessarily use it, so there’s a lot of people frustrated by that,” Rotermund said.
Haney agreed that only specialized groups used the Carlson Center, but said people who live in Salcha, Two Rivers, and Fox “feel like they are spending money supporting city entertainment that are not ever practical for them to enjoy.”
“If you live in Chatanika, what’s the likelihood you’ll come in and go to a UAF hockey game? Probably not often,” she said.
Haney added that while the facility was useful in the 1990s, more event centers have opened in recent years.
Hopkins took umbrage with the assessment, arguing that parks and recreation provide services to the entire borough, not just a “select group.”
The Carlson Center, he added, is a convention hub for several events, including the annual Home Show, Alaska ComiCon, and outdoor expos. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks hockey team plays its home games there.
Hopkins noted that much of the revenue from those events goes directly to private-sector vendors “who have the opportunity to advertise their goods at a very low price to thousands of people that go through those doors.”
He added that the Nanooks don’t have another venue to play in Fairbanks. The Ice Dogs hockey team uses the Big Dipper Ice Arena. The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and University of Alaska Fairbanks hold graduation ceremonies in the building.
While the borough owns the Carlson Center, it has not always directly managed it. From 2016 to 2021, the borough contracted AEG Facilities and ASM Global to manage the center. During that time, the borough still subsidized it by at least $500,000. The borough later commissioned a study from recreation consultant GreenPlay to determine how the center could be better managed.
“When we run it with our parks and rec department, we have more control to bring in programs ... and it costs about the same,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins added that the Carlson Center is 35 years old, which could deter potential buyers. Demolishing it would cost $6 million. He added that the borough would still pay $500,000 in utility costs after closure.
Chief of Staff Kuba Grzeda added that several programs, such as UAF hockey, are scheduled yearly. The closure would require contract cancellations.
Over the past few years, the borough has spent $10 million on improvements, including modernizing the ice arena, new bleachers, and an upgraded telecommunications system.
“As we talk about our community shrinking itself down to make sure we fit within our budget, we also have to look at how we can invest in our community,” Hopkins said.
Assembly member Scott Crass said he’s open to the conversation if the borough doesn’t want to manage the facility any longer. However, he said it would be a “capricious waste to spend $10 million of the taxpayers’ money ... and then just shut the doors.”
Assembly members Kristan Kelly and David Guttenberg called the amendment — and parks and recreation cuts in general — short-sighted.
Guttenberg said the Carlson Center was a state-funded capital infrastructure project.
“It’s really short-sighted to close the Carlson Center with all the things it does for the people in the community,” he said. “At times I haven’t been a fan of the Carlson Center, but I’ve recognized that so many people use it for so many different purposes across the spectrum.”
Wilson defended her amendment, saying the budget is the appropriate place to consider such cuts. Grzeda, the borough’s chief of staff, said it’s “not a bad amendment,” but it warrants actual public outreach given the role the Carlson Center plays.
O’Neall agreed, adding that it’s really about what the community envisions itself being.
“I don’t think we’ve looked in the mirror for a long time to answer that question,” she said. She added she doubts other event venues could fill the gap left by a closed Carlson Center.