NATCHEZ — Facing an approximately $433,000 shortfall in funding the construction of a community swimming pool, city and county leaders Monday identified potential financing to go ahead with the project, but took no action.

Initially, the lowest set of bids — after city and county leaders sought separate bids for the pool construction and the support structures — was $1.3 million, some $300,000 more than the initial estimate.

However, Clifton Rankin Construction of Fayette withdrew its $480,000 bid for the support structures because it failed to include an electrical system into the cost. The second lowest bid for the building and support structures was from Wilmar Construction in Vidalia at $665,900.

The only bid received for the pool’s construction was from Rotolo Consultants of Slidell at $838,950.

The bids together total $1,504,850 with all of the alternates included in the building and support structure. Taking out all four alternate items, the total bid would be approximately $1,395,000.

The original low bid earlier this year, which did not split the items into two separate packages, was approximately $1.7 million. Initial estimates put the pool cost at $1 million.

Project architect Johnny Waycaster said the alternatives are the hill adjacent to the pool, sign, shade structures and equipment which includes lockers, cubes for towels and bleachers.

Waycaster said the non-alternates in the design include a building with bathrooms and offices, a deck around the pool, sidewalks, parking and fencing.

Adams County Board Attorney Scott Slover said the sign and the hill could be taken out of the project.

For the sign, which came in at $7,500, Slover said he thinks the community could get a better price. The hill, at a price of $22,000, Waycaster said the community could do without. The hill would be where the excess dirt from the pool would be placed and would be a spot where people could watch swimming events.

The Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission would potentially look at methods to pay for the shade and equipment, $38,900 and $41,200, respectively. The money would come out of the capital improvements fund, which the county and city have pledged $2 million over a 10-year period.

Supervisors President Mike Lazarus said he would prefer community leaders be careful with the capital improvement funds.

“It sounds like all the capital improvement money will be put toward the pool thing,” Lazarus said. “Before you know it, it will all be gone. Then we don’t get to the ball fields and other stuff we promised people in the referendum.”

Waycaster said the equipment could potentially be purchased later, but he recommended at least funding the shading now. Waycaster said the shading could be put in later, but it would be more expensive than $38,900.

“It would be a lot more expensive if you come back and do it later,” he said.

Adding the shade back in, the cost would come in at $1,433,950. The county and city have already budgeted $500,000 each for the pool, which would leave a shortfall of approximately $217,000 for each board to come up with to complete the funding.

The shortfall phase of funding would likely fall in the 2017-18 fiscal year for both the county and the city.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said she met with members of the Community Development Fund board, who expressed a willingness to dedicate a portion of the board’s 2017-18 funds to complete the pool. The board oversees annual payments Magnolia Bluffs Casino makes to the city for community development purposes. The payments and the fund are stipulated in the casino’s lease with the city for city-owned riverfront land at Roth Hill Road.

Mayor Darryl Grennell said he would call a meeting with the community development board this week to formally make the request.

Lazarus said the board has not discussed putting additional money into the pool.

Funding could work for the 2017-18 fiscal year, however, as the county is planning to keep the $500,000 dedicated this year to the pool in the budget going forward but dedicating it to asphalt projects in subsequent years.

“If a portion of our asphalt money ends up in the pool, so be it,” Lazarus said. “If the board decides to do it which they may not.”

District 2 Supervisor David Carter said Monday he would vote no on spending an additional approximately $217,000 on the pool.

Slover said the supervisors would next meet on July 5 and could discuss additional funding at that point.

Grennell said the city would meet on July 11 to make a decision.

Waycaster said if a decision is made on July 11, construction could potentially begin on Aug. 1. The build out is 200 days.

Weather depending, Arceneaux-Mathis said that would put completion sometime in March.

“If we wanted to open it in April or May, we should be in good shape,” she said.