City of East Ridge looks to sell pool property for $500,000

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4150 Monroe St.

4150 Monroe St.
Arkansas-Ole Miss Live Blog

For about $500,000, a 5.6-acre pool property in East Ridge could be yours.

East Ridge has issued a public notice that it is selling the pool complex at 4150 Monroe St. The property also contains a chemical building, concession stand, parking lot and tennis courts, the notice stated.

In June 2010, the City Council agreed to buy the pool from the East Ridge Youth Foundation and pay off foundation debt for about $120,000. Before the sale, the Youth Foundation had operated the pool for about 42 years, East Ridge City Manager Tim Gobble said.

Instead of renovating the existing complex, which is "not in good shape," East Ridge Mayor Brent Lambert said, the city is considering building a new pool.

The estimated cost to renovate the pool property is $500,000 to $800,000, Gobble said. The pool's floor is cracked and crumbling, and there are problems with its water pump and filtration system, he added.

"It would need a major renovation to get back up and running," Gobble said.

Council members thought the city might use the proceeds from the sale of the complex to build a new pool on the property of the now-closed McBrien Elementary School, right behind City Hall, Lambert said.

The McBrien property was given to East Ridge by Hamilton County in October 2010.

"If we had a pool, that would be a better location," Lambert said. "We definitely want to have a pool."

Lambert said he expects there to be interest in the current property, though there is no timetable for the sale.

Contact staff writer Naomi Jagoda at njagoda@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.

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