This is the kind of infrastructure that a lot of small towns have access to.”

Daniela Abbott, Portsmouth Town Council

PORTSMOUTH — Saying local athletic clubs can no longer satisfy the demand for swim lessons and lane times, a Town Council member has taken the first step in determining the public’s interest in establishing a new aquatics complex on Aquidneck Island.

On Jan. 14 the council approved member Daniela Abbott’s request to apply for a van Beuren Charitable Foundation grant to conduct a market feasibility study to come up with a strategic plan for the aquatics complex, which she’d prefer to be built in Portsmouth. The market analysis would include a survey of Portsmouth residents.

Ms. Abbott, who won her first term on the council in November, said she heard many residents express interest in a “community pool” during her campaign.

“Honestly, it was one of the top three things people asked me about,” she said. “This is the kind of infrastructure that a lot of small towns have access to.” 

There are no concrete ideas for the facility at this time, she emphasized. “It’s a really just a preliminary first step,” Ms. Abbott said.

A new aquatics complex is needed, however, because the existing athletic clubs on the island are struggling to meet the demand for pool time.

According to the grant application, the Newport County YMCA and Boys & Girls Club of Newport are the only two facilities that provide indoor pool access, via membership, within Newport County. A third facility, the Newport Athletic Club, closed last year, significantly increasing demand for pool time, according to the grant.

“A new, state-of-the-art aquatics complex would complement the facilities available at the YMCA and serve the needs of residents in the northern portion of Aquidneck Island, specifically Portsmouth. A new facility would also provide a good alternative for residents in Tiverton, Little Compton, and Bristol,” the grant stated.

Ms. Abbott said the need for pool time is coming primarily from parents who want to enroll their children in swim lessons, and from older adults who want to swim laps.

“Swim lessons are big here because we live near the water. A lot of people may say, ‘Oh, but we have the beach,’ but you can only use it three months out of the year,” Ms. Abbott said. “We don’t have a lot of options for facilities for swim lessons. They’re quite expensive, and I know a lot of people can’t afford them, so that’s an issue, too.”

Possible school use

A new aquatics center could possibly serve the Portsmouth school district, Ms. Abbott said.

Swim lessons “are part of the curriculum in Newport and Middletown,” she said, noting that those districts bus second-graders to the YMCA or Boys & Girls Club for lessons. With another aquatics complex, the local school district could do the same, or swimming could be offered as an affordable, after-school enrichment program, according to the grant application.

“It would be great to even consider doing something like that, but that’s still far off,” Ms. Abbott said.

A new aquatics complex could also be home base for the Portsmouth High School swim team, which competes for pool time with Middletown High and Portsmouth Abbey at Roger Williams University, according to the grant narrative.

Study is first step

A market feasibility study would be the first step in addressing the need for an aquatic complex, Ms. Abbott said. It would seek to answer the most basic questions required for further strategic planning:

• How many people would use a new aquatic complex on Aquidneck Island?

• What kind of programs would they like to see offered?

• What range of membership and program fees would be appropriate?

The study would be the first of five phases in developing the project, followed by a strategic planning and concept development, request for proposals and funding, design and construction details, and facility commissioning and membership drive.

At the Jan. 14 meeting, council member Keith Hamilton brought up the matter of public funding. “My only concern is we’re not going to spend taxpayer money on this,” Mr. Hamilton said.

Ms. Abbott and Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. said that wouldn’t be the case. “There’s no financial impact to the town,” Mr. Rainer said.

Local resident Tom Grieb then walked to the podium and made a reference to a local project that was originally intended to have no no financial impact to taxpayers, but whose maintenance costs have since crept into the town’s budget. 

“I just want to remind the council of the no-cost dog park,” Mr. Grieb said.