Voters support local pool

ODESSA – School District voters are overwhelmingly supporting an effort to establish the proposed Metropolitan Park District to help fund the city swimming pool.

The initial general election tally Tuesday night, Nov. 3, showed 76.76% of local voters are in favor of creating the taxing district for the Odessa Aquatic Recreation Center. Only 23.24% of voters were opposed.

Commissioner-elect Raye Galloway-Scrupps says, “I am so very excited the park district got the needed votes. Now we will see what we can do to make repairs and offer programs that were not possible before due to budget constraints.”

The town government has lost money repeatedly over the years trying to keep the pool open to the public.

Despite help over the past several years from the non-profit group Friends of the Pool, funding has never quite kept pace with maintenance costs.

The five members of the board of commissioners to oversee administration of the park district were also listed on Tuesday’s ballot, and each of the five people who filed for the positions ran unopposed.

Kelsey Scrupps, Blayne Albertson, Kimberly Ryan, Raye Galloway-Scrupps and Alyson Wilson are expected to be installed in those positions.