By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
Despite a plea from Mayor Amy B. Sherburne Tuesday night, the Olean Common Council voted unanimously to override the mayor’s veto of a $1.1 million swimming pool repair bid.
All six aldermen — including Ward 2 Republican Joseph Keary, who two weeks ago voted against accepting the bid from Patterson-Stevens Inc., Tonawanda, for pool repairs — voted to override the veto.
“This is not a veto against the pool,” the mayor said prior to the council’s vote to override. “It is a veto for due diligence.”
Sherburne said, “The issue before us is not whether a community pool is desirable. The issue is whether we currently have sufficient information, funding and oversight to proceed with a project of this magnitude. At this point, the city does not have all the necessary funding secured, nor do we have the reliable final cost for completing the reconstruction.”
The mayor said the pool wall and necessary restoration, pool furniture and winter cover are not factored into the project. The budget does not include pool chemicals or labor to staff the pool, she added.
Sherburne also addressed the splash pad, which remains incomplete. “We are still waiting for documentation from the engineering and planning firm identifying the scope of the necessary rework” and associated costs.
The mayor has previously said the city received a grant for $705,000 for swimming pool renovations.
No timetable was discussed of when work on the pool might get undereway.
There is some concern that voids may have developed behind the pool walls and some resurfacing of the pool walls with tile will probably have to be done as well. The biggest unknown is whether there are voids behind the walls, how to find them and how to repair them if they are found. The additional cost is unknown, but will; depend on the extent of repairs needed.
The Cattaraugus County Health Department refused to certify the pool’s sand filter system prior to the opening of the 2024 season. The pool has sat unused and unprotected since then.
The city said it was waiting for a part for the splash park, but late last month council sources said it was unlikely the splash pad would open this year. There are concerns that portions of the concrete pad will need to be torn up and replaced. Work began last year on the splash pad.
On the issue of the pool, Sherburne added: “Before we obligate the city to additional expenditures, we should know the complete cost, the source of funding and the ongoing operational impact, and who will be accountable for ensuring the work is properly delivered.”
Voting to override the 6-0 veto were: Council President Lawrence “JR” Bennion, R-Ward 1; Keary, Jennifer Forney, R-Ward 3; Sonya McCall, D-Ward 4; John Crawford, D-Ward 5, and David Anastasia, D-Ward 7. The Ward 6 seat is currently vacant with the resignation of former Council President Vernon Robinson Jr.
Anastasia said the mayor had made it clear that “she did not want the pool reopened” despite approval of both the council and the public.
The city has received a $705,000 state grant to help pay for the cost of the pool filter replacement and other upgrades, Anastasia said. He suggested that if the pool project isn’t done, it will cost the city $400,000 to properly close it. The city needs to inspect the project as it proceeds.
The mayor also asked the council to reconsider a resolution it tabled two weeks ago to buy a video camera system for the Municipal Building to update the existing system and to direct the comptroller’s office to arrange financing. The resolution will be placed on the Aug. 25 council agenda.
The video system is expected to be extended to some city parks, which delayed a vote on the measure two weeks ago.
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