Council debates use of pool office by swim team

by Nathan Arneal
published 7/15/09

The swimming pool office was a topic of debate at the July 7 meeting of the North Bend City Council.

The Council had recently learned that the North Bend swim team had been using the pool office for a concession stand during swim meets. According to meet director Cheryl Wietfeld, the office has been used as a concession stand for at least 10 years.

Mayor Karan Legler voiced her opposition right away.

“I for one do not like the swim team using the pool office,” Legler said. “That is a city office and we do not rent out city offices. If we had known about this a long time ago, we would have put a stop to it then.”

Wietfeld said the fact nothing has gone wrong over the 10 years the stand has been operated from the office should speak well of the people running it.

“I guess I feel if you’re willing to allow us to use your pool and bathhouse,” Wietfeld said, “I think we’re probably capable of running a concession stand out of the office.”

When asked if there were any alternative spots to set up a concessions stand, Wietfeld said there were other choices. The office, with its existing roof, counter, and access to electricity was the best option, she said.

“If you have something that’s very conducive to a concession stand area, and there’s really no reason you can’t be in there, why would you not want to be in there?” Wietfeld asked.

Legler said the main concern of the city was liability.

“That is a city office,” Legler said. “Therefore, city business is conducted in it. Anything they do in there will be considered city business. If something goes wrong, or somebody gets sick from their food, it’s going to come back on the city because they were inside the city offices.”

City Clerk Theresa Busse said the pool employees are inconvenienced because they have to box up and store all the candy sold during normal pool hours. She also said stacked boxes interfered with the security cameras in the pool office during the Old Settlers swim meet.
Councilman Jeff Kluthe was the first city official to speak in favor of allowing the concession stand to operate in the office.

“If after 10 years, whether we knew about it or not, obviously they’re doing something right the way they are handling the inside of the pool,” Kluthe said. “I’m not going to take that away right now just because all of a sudden we found out. Now if we found out because something got vandalized or somebody got hurt, then we would review it.”

The swim team hosts one more meet this season, on July 15. Kluthe said he would vote in favor of letting the swim team use the office for a concession stand at that meet, then review the matter before next summer’s meets. Council members Lisa Voss and Emily Kirschenmann agreed, making the vote 3-0 with councilman Kevin Ferguson absent from the meeting.

In other council business:
• Dan Martinez showed the Council some changes made to the plat of the Riverview Shores first addition, as requested by city engineer Tyler Hevlin. The council approved the new plat.
• The Council reviewed a letter from West Point mayor Marlene Johnson asking North Bend to continue lobbyist support for the NE Expressways for Economic Development Coalition. The measure, which includes a monthly fee of $62, passed 3-0.
• The Council reviewed a letter sent to Great Plains Communications about the councils concerns with North Bend cable and Internet service. No response from the letter had been received, and Busse said she would call them the next day.

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