Sedalia Park Board Votes to Keep Pool Rates The Same

The Sedalia Park Board made a decision concerning special consideration for the Sedalia Bandits Swim Team using the Heckart Community Pool at a board meeting Thursday night.

And that decision was to stay with the current rates charged for pool usage. And that rate for the Bandits, by the way, is 75 percent subsidized.

Bandits head coach Jerry Tankersley approached the Sedalia Park Board August 10, accompanied by several concerned Bandits parents.

The Sedalia Middle School pool, which was the winter home for the Bandits, was shut down the first wek of August now that the Heckart is in full operation.

“I was blind-sided,” Tankersley told the Park Board at that meeting after receiving the notification from Sedalia 200 via email about the SMS pool closure.

Tankersley who been involved with the Bandits swim team for 22 years and is a former member as a youth, said “I don't want a handout.” But he added, “I'm very passionate about it.”

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At Thursday evening's meeting, Tankersley once again appeared before the Board with several Bandits parents.

The rate mentioned during the meeting was $800 for three lanes, three days a week for one hour each time.

Parks & Rec Director Amy Epple noted that she wants to be up front with the parents and coaches. “We can't give them the whole pool from 6 to 7 (p.m.) three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, because if the public wants to use it, then there's no lanes for them to use ... We would never be able to give them the whole pool, I just want to be open and honest about that, because that takes away from memberships and the public,” Epple said.

When it came time for a vote, Board member Jan Summers made a motion “not to change any of the rates that Amy set up. We can't do it for one and not the others. So I conclude that we stay with the rates that we have” Summers said by phone.

The vote by the remainder of the Park Board members agreed with Summers.

Absent from Thursday night's meeting was Les Wolpers, Megan Simon and Roy Poynter.

Tankersley and his group immediately left the meeting room at the Heckart Community Center after the vote was taken.