Chandler opens pool, appoints Robin Crouch as council member

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The joyful splashing sound of jumping into the pool is returning to Chandler.

The city hopes to open the pool July 1 and the new splash pad June 29, city manager James Melson said.

The pool will be open 1-5 p.m. daily and hours for the splash pad have not yet been finalized.

Melson said that preparations to open the pool are already in the works and the pool manager is scheduling lifeguards.

The city is asking that people try to follow social distancing guidelines, he said, and children under 12 will be required to be accompanied by an adult at the pool.

The city’s initial decision to keep the pool closed for the summer due COVID-19 social distancing concerns was overturned in part due to the pleas of citizens attending the June 9 Chandler City Council Meeting.

City council members at the meeting said the reason for the original pool closure was out of their desire to protect the Chandler community from COVID-19 risks.

“My viewpoint of what the council has done has never been involving safety or liability so much as we want our people not to become infected with a killing disease,” city attorney Larry Lenora said.

The council is less concerned with potential lawsuits that might result from the pool reopening.

“It’s more about the health and about the welfare of our citizens,” Lenora said. “[…] It’s not a liability issues; it’s a human issue.”

City manager James Melson agreed.

“Two deaths [in Lincoln County], that’s way too many,” he said.

Citizens who spoke at the meeting said that the pool closure was resulting in residents going to other towns to swim instead.

“It does nothing good for our tax base,” Chandler First Baptist Church minister of music and education and treasurer of Chandler Ministerial Alliance Kirk Holloway said. “Not one thing does that do for people who take money that’s been here in Chandler and go to Cushing, go to Stroud, go to Stillwater, go to Edmund, go to Shawnee so their kids can swim.”

Some citizens also said they were concerned about the increased health risk as individuals traveled to pools outside Chandler and potentially brought whatever they were exposed to there back into Chandler with them.

“The safety that you’re talking about,” Chandler First Assembly of God pastor Kevin Martin said.

“[…] I do understand all that, but I also understand that we’ve got to give our kids something to do. If not, our jail is going to be full and we don’t want that. So, I would ask you, please reconsider opening the pool.”

The City Council also approved the acceptance of the resignation letter from council member Larry Freeman at the meeting.

Robin Crouch was appointed to fill the remainder of Ward IV Council Member Larry Freeman’s term of office. Larry Lenora administered the oath of office to Robin Crouch at the June 9 meeting.

The meeting had approximately 16 people outside of the council members themselves in attendance. The mayor said the number in attendance was unusually high.

Other actions taken by the council included:

Approval of the consent agenda

Approval of accepting the engagement letter with Michael W. Green CPA for fiscal year 2020 audit dated May 21, 2020

Approval of adopting the operating budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 in the amount of $3,880,774.88

The Chandler Municipal Authority held a meeting on June 9, directly prior to the City Council meeting.

At the meeting, the municipal authority approved the resignation letter from council member Larry Freeman.

Other actions taken by the municipal authority included:

Approval of the consent agenda

Approval of the engagement letter with Michael W. Green, CPA for fiscal year audit 2020 dated May 21, 2020

Approval of adopting the operating budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 in the amount of $8,783,212.59