Kernersville pool plan draws sharply divided public comment; board urged to provide full cost details

Supporters and opponents of a proposed Kernersville community pool traded arguments during the public-comment portion of a Board of Aldermen meeting, pressing the board for clearer fiscal and site information.

Jenny Fulton, a resident and taxpayer, urged the board to "pause this project and provide citizens with a clear and simple explanation of what the pool's truly going to cost year after year," saying the town budget increased from roughly $46–48 million to $56 million and noting about $41 million in long-term debt. She told the board the pool could cost "about $16 million over 10 years" and said operations, maintenance, staffing and utilities were not yet fully accounted for.

Leavon Moore said many neighbors near the proposed site learned only recently of plans for a pool near the new Lowe's Food store and raised traffic and notice concerns. "If y'all were dead set for putting in a new pool in Kernersville, I don't understand why you would put one in an area of town that has the most backed up traffic of all the town," Moore said, urging wider community input and, if possible, a public vote.

By contrast, long-time resident John Barrow defended the plan and its purpose to teach children to swim, noting the site is on land donated by the Pope family and saying the town routinely surveys recreation priorities: "At the top of the list every year is a pool." Barrow said the pool design includes year-round rental spaces modeled after a Thomasville facility to offset running costs and stated the recent tax change was revenue-neutral, not a tax increase to pay for the pool.

Resident Claire Vote asked individual board members whether they supported the pool; the mayor replied that the public-comment forum was not the format for board members to state positions and invited her to continue with her comment.

No board action was taken on the pool at this meeting. Town staff and the town manager indicated they would continue to provide information to the board; several residents asked the board to release a full lifecycle cost estimate, expected operating budgets, and projected usage figures — the pool's planned capacity was referenced as about 300 people at peak use.

The board did not set a timeline for a formal vote on the pool; matters related to the project appeared on the upcoming agenda materials staff expected to post ahead of the next meeting.