Friday, February 26th, 2010
Trust funds will be used to keep pool open
By William Kincaid
Celina's swimming pool will open this summer with financial assistance from the Bryson Trust Fund.
"Thanks to the Bryson Trust, our swimming pool will be open this summer," LaRue told the audience Thursday night at Celina-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet.
"What they're going to do is set aside $50,000," LaRue told the newspaper this morning. "We (the city) will bear as much of the cost of the pool as we can."
LaRue said she met with Collin Bryan, trustee officer of the Bryan Trust Fund, and explained the city's situation.
"He talked to some of the other members and they said that they just felt like they could not let the pool close for the summer because the kids out there need a place to go," she said.
According to LaRue, the trust fund has only been used for capital and expansion projects of the park the last couple of years.
But that decision has been waived this year, she said.
Bryan said there will be a one-year agreement to provide $50,000 from the fund for the operating cost of the pool.
Bryan said he and other city officials were sensitive to the fact that the pool is the only recreational facility bearing Bryson's name, a man whom Bryan said was concerned about maintaining a swimming pool.
The Bryson Trust Fund, according to Bryan, dates back to the 1950s.
First Financial Bank of Celina is the trustee of the fund, Bryan said.
LaRue said there will be forthcoming discussion about pool details, such as personnel.
"We will go from there. We will probably set up a meeting, but I have no idea when that's going to be," she said.
On Wednesday, a group of concerned citizens, parents and students expressed disappointment at the proposal to close Celina's Bryson Pool and urged council members to find a way to keep it open.
- Staff writer Christine Henderson contributed to this story
