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By Mayor Sam Hosler, Town of Kearny
Those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” are here. Hazy is definitely true – this morning the sun was golden from its attempt to break through the smoke from forest fires, and ashes were falling everywhere. Lazy is nowhere to be seen, because crazy (with activities) has taken its place.
Fun in the Kearny Pool
Our municipal pool is truly busy. Pool Manager Margie Casillas has an enthusiastic and well-trained bunch of lifeguards, who have done double duty by painting and fixing up the pool office (including much-needed paint on the floor). The opening day was wonderful. The next day, however, the pool was closed to repair one of the new lights which malfunctioned. The repair was made and things are open again. I’m glad our “shakedown cruise” of the pool has resulted only in this one minor problem.
A two-week session of swimming lessons is in the works. I hope that by next week I will be able to report on the particulars.
I have been asked why our pool charges more for admission than the pool in Hayden. The difference is significant – we charge a daily swim fee of $3.00, while Hayden asks only fifty cents. The reason is because our pool has never been fully funded by the Town of Kearny. Maintenance is pretty well covered by the town budget, but operations have always depended on the largesse of gifts from businesses such as ASARCO and Resolution, our pool fees, and individual gifts from the community, including voluntary maintenance. Our expenses are even higher this year. Even with the support of Rotary and gifts from our citizens, the town had to chip in lots of money to rebuild the pool. On top of that, the new pool’s filtering system is more expensive to operate.
The pool admission fees and the family passes cover only a part of our summer operating expenses. I have no idea how the Town of Hayden can charge such a small amount and keep operating as well as they do. But I do know that I am proud of the way that Kearny residents have worked to reopen the pool for a full season.
In other news: Chief Harry Grizzle has begun his interim work with the towns of Kearny, Hayden, Winkelman, and Mammoth. He volunteered to do this from his usual position with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. Pinal County is paying his salary as he works with all of us. This allows time for the Task Force on developing a regional system for the four towns to complete its work and make its recommendations for the future.
Lina Austin, with the Future Forward Foundation, will be holding a special cooking class at Constitution Hall on “Cooking What You Grow,” a connection with her work of developing home and community gardens. Again, I will give details as they come available.
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