Payson poll may be sink or swim for pool

PAYSON — Residents have until May 31 to return their city surveys that will be used to determine the future of recreation in this south Utah County town.

The main issue involves Payson's aging swimming pool and that is raising some issues of its own, says former mayor Gordon Taylor.

"The whole survey is ridiculous because Payson can't afford a (new) pool or a recreation center," he said. "Payson has other expenses."

Built more than 30 years ago when Payson was a much smaller town, "it's time to take a look at it," City recreation director Karl Teemant said with the current pool nearing 30 years old and designed for a much smaller population base, "it's time to take a look at it."

The city recently built a complex of ball diamonds in the area being considered for a new pool and recreation center after tearing down Payson Downs, a century-old horse-racing track.

"We built baseball fields, but what other facilities do (residents) want?" Teemant asked rhetorically in emphasizing the purpose of the survey.

The eight-page questionnaire was mailed to 4,779 homes and businesses. The rural town has a population of about 15,000.

Put together by Red Eye Research of Orem, the survey is broken into five sections, with the bulk of it targeted at what residents want done with the pool. Among the options the survey offers:

• Close the pool once it becomes too expensive to maintain.

• Renovate the existing pool, leaving it the same size.

• Expand the pool.

• Build a new outdoor pool.

• Build an indoor pool with no additional amenities.

• Build a recreation center with an indoor pool.

An outdoor pool would be open in the summer only, while an indoor pool would stay open year-round.

Taylor said he hadn't yet filled out his survey, but he planned to get it done. He was mayor from 1998 to 2002.

The survey offers a scenario with each option and asks residents to rank them between zero and 10, with zero "not at all appealing" and 10 "most appealing."