The fate of the FKHS Charlesworth Natatorium remains uncertain after Tuesday night's special USD 445 board meeting.
After an extended discussion regarding a proposed agreement from the Friends of the Charlesworth Pool, a motion was made to move forward with a request for proposal to demolish the pool, which did not receive a second and died on the floor. Since no decision was made, the next steps for the facility, which has been closed since February of 2024, still need to be figured out.
At the special meeting, Board Member Cindy Price went through the timeline of events between the groups. Price says Superintendent Dr. Craig Correll received a proposal from the group on Monday, and the changes between the district proposal and the community group's are significant.
School board members examined the proposed agreement and highlighted several concerns they had, some of which included a 20-year initial term of the agreement, with automatic 5-year renewals, saying that a long-term binding agreement limits the discretion of future boards. Board members also expressed concern over language that the district would be responsible for pool repairs over the estimated $2.4 million price tag, in addition to complete financial disclosure as outlined between a private entity. The group's proposed agreement also states that Community Committee funds must be refunded if the facility is closed for more than 30 consecutive days. Board members also had issues with granting unrestricted access to the facility by committee members, in addition to mutual consent being required for modifications to the pool itself.
Board Member Darrel Harbaugh says he thinks the divide between the board and the committee boils down to a lack of trust.
Harbaugh says he has several problems with the proposed agreement by the group.
Harbaugh says if the pool can't be saved, he thinks the committee is to blame.
Board Member Matt Jordan says the lack of trust between the two groups has gone both ways.
Jordan says he feels the board has been lied to about the group's LLC status.
Price says the district was made aware of the group's lack of LLC status on Friday, December 12th.
According to the Kansas Secretary of State's Office, the Friends of the Charlesworth Swimming Pool, LLC was founded on Monday, December 15th. Although it's unclear if the wording appeared on previous documents, there was no mention of an LLC in the minutes of the November 25th Coffeyville City Commission meeting, where a letter of commitment was approved for a loan of up to $600,000 to the group. Further review of the audio from the meeting shows Community Committee Spokesman Ryan Thompson did mention the LLC in his comments to the commission.
In an interview with KGGF, Thompson says the main purpose for setting up the LLC was for the agreement with the district, and he thinks there may have been some confusion on the topic.
Thompson says he was disappointed with the comments made at the meeting.
Thompson says he's optimistic that an agreement can still be ironed out.
The district's summary of the Community Committee's proposed inter-local agreement says that it “Creates long-term shared governance expectations, operational constraints and financial triggers that materially limit Kansas Board of Education statutory authority.”
District documentation says that the USD 445 memorandum of understanding “Preserves full Board of Education control, limits risk exposure, and confines the agreement to a defined renovation purpose.”
The full interview with Thompson can be heard here.
