The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

PRESCOTT - The down- side of getting a generous grant for the town swim- ming pool is that taxpayers get the wrong impression, according to Patsy Adams Warnock, chair of Prescott's Joint Park and Recreation District. Some might think they no longer need to pitch in, she said.

To the contrary, the swimming pool's annual maintenance and operations levy relies as much as ever on a critical super-majority of at least 60 percent in the upcoming general election on Nov. 5.

The levy calls for about the same amount as last year - $110,000 - to operate the pool in 2014. That trans- lates to 40 cents per $1,000 of home owners' assessed property values - a slight decrease from last year's 45 cents due to an upward ad- justment in county-assessed values. The new levy replac- es this year's levy and does not represent a tax increase to Prescott home owners.

"We don't want the public to think the ($54,000) Sher- wood Trust grant helped with operations," she said. "It was a one-time grant to fix aging equipment."

The grant ensured local swimmers, who flocked to the popular facility this summer, started the season in water at a comfortable temperature, thanks to a new Pulsar boiler and a Chemtrol by-pass machine, a device that controls the balance of water and chemi- cals in the pool.

"All of the new equip- ment installed before open- ing day 2013 worked well, and cut labor/maintenance efforts considerably," Ad- ams Warnock said.

Attendance at the pool this year jumped 17 percent to 5,340 from last summer's 4,560, despite a shorter 2013 season. The pool opened on June 17 and closed 71 days later, compared to 85 days in 2012.

This year, 2,975 swim- mers came from Prescott, 350 from Waitsburg and Dayton, 1,750 from Walla Walla and 300 from else- where. Last year, 3,360 swimmers came from Prescott, 285 from Waits- burg and Dayton, 1,060 from Walla Walla and 307 from elsewhere, according to the district.

For the first time this year, the district was able to offer free swimming les- sons, the cost of which was covered by several dona- tions, including a $1,000 gift from Northwest Grain Growers in Walla Walla. As a result, instructors taught 1,415 lessons, with each session including eight lessons.

"After the children took one session, many of them progressed to second and third sessions," said Adams Warnock, who cited swim- ming skills as one of the district's top priorities as a pool activity, spurred by last year's drownings in the Snake River.

Aside from lessons, other special activities this year included "Music in the Park," an evening event that drew more than 100 to the pool, and Karaoke, Safety Day, Pizza Mile and Car Show.

This year's ballots will go out on Oct. 18, giving Prescott voters two weeks to turn them in. The total levy amount sought for next year is $110,000, compared to $110,432 raised for this year through a successful 66.9 percent "yes" vote in 2012.

The Prescott pool is 55 years old this year. Built in 1958, the pool was origi- nally part of the Prescott School District. After oper- ating the pool for 23 years, changes in the way the state funds school districts made the Prescott school board decided the school district could no longer finance or manage the facility.

In May 1981, voters ap- proved the formation of a junior taxing district, the Prescott Joint Park and Recreation District - along the Prescott School District boundary lines - by an overwhelming vote of 177 to 28. The new district's five elected commissioners took over operations of the pool the same year.