NATCHEZ — The community pool on Liberty Road is still scheduled to open this weekend under new management as the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission renegotiates a new contract with the Metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi.

During a regularly scheduled meeting with the Adams County Board of Supervisors Monday, recreation commission member Jimmy Ware said the YMCA terminated its contract with the commission last week; however, the pool would still be open to adults only for an adult swim 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Thursday and will be officially open to everyone from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

As of last week the commission named Faye Minor, former sports and programs director for the YMCA, interim pool director, Ware said, and everyone, including lifeguards, maintenance workers and staff members who worked for the pool last summer have already been reinstated as the commission continues to hire staff for the pool.

“The YMCA officially pulled out, but the pool is still going to run,” Ware said.

Adams County Attorney Scott Slover said the pool’s insurance would bridge over to the new management team and would not expire.

The Board of Supervisors also discussed their concerns for the future of the pool during Monday’s meeting.

District 2 Supervisor, David Carter said the contract with the YMCA expired last March and was never renewed because the recreation commission didn’t have a quorum for the past two months and suggested more regulation of attendance to the commission’s monthly meetings in needed.

“The reason we set up the recreation commission is to have a board with one purpose and take politics out of it,” Carter said. “Some people really just don’t have the time to serve on that board. … I’m very concerned about the future and direction of the pool without that rigid structure and management to run it.”

District 1 Supervisor, Mike Lazarus said the YMCA gave stiff rules to the pool that needed to be enforced for the safety the pool’s swimmers.

“A lot of people didn’t like the rules, but they were The Y’s rules and they were the same all over the country,” Lazarus said. “Now, I feel like some people are going to feel pressure on them to change these rules. We don’t need to change these rules. There is a reason they were set the way they are.”

Minor said the pool would continue to operate with the same rules and staff as though nothing had changed while the qualified staff is sought to run it.

“We’ve made a commitment to make sure the pool runs as smoothly as it always has, that we have a diverse staff and there are at least four or five people — believe it or not — who live in Adams County who are qualified to manage the pool,” Minor said. “Those are the people we are in the process of interviewing and trying to get them on board. Nothing is going to change.”

Minor said she has also stayed in contact with the YMCA, who would remain active in other community projects, and reassured the supervisors that they are still willing to renegotiate their contract.

“The YMCA is still willing to help,” Minor said. “They still want a presence in the community. … They aren’t running away from us. There are a lot of things in that contract that needs to be critiqued … and they would be willing to re-look at what you all want out of that contract and come back.”

District 4 Supervisor, Ricky Gray said he knows of no reason the pool should not continue operating smoothly for now without the YMCA’s direction.

“The Y is an asset, but you have pools all over the nation that run without the Y,” Gray said. “I don’t want people in this community to think that just because the Y is not part of the swimming pool that we aren’t going to have swimming in Adams County. … We’re going to have swimming. We’ve got some people with expertise in this community who know about pools. The pool will go on.”

In other matters during Monday’s meeting with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, the board:

• Submitted necessary documents, to state Legislature for the receipt of $1 million from a bond bill for the Bellwood levee project.
• Heard a request from Paul Benoist of Natchez to add an item to the Nov. 5 general election ballot that reads: “for consolidation of all local government functions by a repeal of the Natchez city charter and transfers all Natchez city government powers, duties and functions to the Adams County government.”

Benoist said the ballot item would be non-binding and would provide an accurate count of the public’s perspective on dissolving the city’s governmental duties and transferring them to the Board of Supervisors that could be presented to the state legislature. No actions were taken pertaining to Benoist request.

• Unanimously approved invoices from the NACRC in the amount of $68,943.87.