Seward County Community College will host Town Hall meetings in February to solicit public input about the College’s swimming pool. At the December 2023 meeting, SCCC’s Board of Trustees opened a discussion after President Brad Bennett presented cost estimates regarding repairs and maintenance of the SCCC pool.
“The pool is a great benefit to our community, but I think it’s time for us to evaluate whether it’s a good use of our funds,” said Bennett. “If the board says we want to keep it as a benefit to the community, then we wouldn’t discuss it further. However, if it is something we want to examine, we need to gather input from the community. I would like a consensus about whether you would like me to continue?”
After a lengthy discussion, the Board directed Bennett to schedule community forums and gather input from the public.
“We know that for the people who use the pool, it’s often the only place where they can exercise,” noted trustee and vice chair Marvin Chance. “We’re affecting their lives, and we need to keep in mind, we’ll all get older someday.”
Trustee Keeley Moree pointed out that whether the college keeps the pool or opts to transform it to something else, “doing nothing is not an option. When we have these conversations, we need to be prepared to talk about what the plan is.”
Town Hall meetings are set for Monday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the conference rooms above the student union and Thursday, Feb. 29 at noon in the same location.
