An Athens resident accused Mayor Steve Patterson of "abuse of office" at Monday night's council meeting, after the city announced its decision to build an outdoor pool instead of an indoor pool.
In a letter to the city, which was read aloud by Council President Chris Knisely, Todd Swearingen questioned the method by which the city arrived at the decision. He said council's original ordinance only allowed Patterson the ability to look into options for the new municipal pool, not to sign a contract finalizing an outdoor pool.
“This is no longer simply a matter about replacing a city pool… it is about the mayor’s willful and intentional subversion of Council and process, as well as deception of, if not disregard for, the electorate and general public,” Swearingen said in his letter.
Councilman Pat McGee, I-At Large, raised similar concerns.
“Is the indoor pool off the table," McGee said. "And if so who made that decision?”
Patterson responded by saying there wasn’t enough money in the budget for both an indoor and outdoor facility.
The 0.1 percent levy passed in 2014 was not only for the purpose of building a pool but to repair city parks as well.
Swearingen said at the meeting he was dissatisfied by the mayor’s response and did not feel that it fully answered McGee’s question.
“The city is putting on smoke and mirrors to avoid answering these questions,” Swearingen said.
Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward, said research shows outdoor pools have a higher rate of attendance compared to indoor pools.
MSA Sport, the company building the pool, is set to give a presentation to council Sept. 26.
Patterson suggested the city build the new pool in a different location than the existing one on East State Street so residents could continue to use it while the new one was being constructed.
“We could have one more year in using the old pool while constructing the old one,” Patterson said.
He also ruled out any possibility for the new pool to open by next summer.
Council members also debated a new state law that would allow ATVs, side-by-sides and golf carts to be allowed on city streets where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less unless cities opt out.
The law goes into affect Jan. 1.
“I think this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of,” Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward said.
Patterson also voiced his concern about the law, questioning whether it would be a good idea to have golf carts and semi trucks next to one another on Athens' streets.
“This has safety disaster written all over it,” he said.
McGee suggested the law could be useful to shuttle people around and cut down on the need for parking garages.
Councilwoman Jennifer Cochran, D-At Large, agreed it was an idea worth considering.
“It's something we need to carefully look at to consider the safety of our residents,” she said.
Bennett Leckrone contributed to this article.
