Blackfoot Pool bond fails after third time on the ballot
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BLACKFOOT– A bond to renovate the Blackfoot Swimming Pool failed for the third time.
The bond needed a supermajority vote of 66.7 percent to pass. It was almost there with a 63.95 percent — 2,001 were in favor of the bond and 1,128 (36.05 percent) were against.
City of Blackfoot officials had placed the pool back on the ballot, hoping the third time would be the charm to get support from voters to get the 46-year-old facility renovated.
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Instead of a $5 million dollar bond like the first two in 2017, this time around it was $3.9 million. It would finance the necessary renovations to extend the usable life of the Blackfoot Swimming Pool.
In May 2017 it failed to reach the supermajority by 15 votes, and in November 2017, the bond received 61.15 percent.
In June, the City Council proposed a $1.9 million “no frills” bond that would go toward fixing maintenance and structural issues the pool is facing. After the City Council revisited the issue, it decided to move forward with a $3.9 million bond instead.
“We kept the pool open for 13 years. It saddens me to see it go. Blackfoot will not be the same without it,” Blackfoot City Councilman Chris Jensen said.