Mayor stands by pool's closure

Neighbors of south Omaha's Morton Park delivered a message Tuesday to City Hall: Save our pool.

Kathy Miller, a mother of six, delivered a petition signed by nearly 1,000 people and a letter asking Mayor Jim Suttle to open Morton pool at 41st and V Streets.

The neighbors want Suttle to reverse a May decision by then-Mayor Mike Fahey to not open the city pool as part of a package of emergency budget cuts.

Suttle spokesman Ron Gerard said today that the mayor has received the petition but will stick with the decision to close the pool, not just for this year, but permanently. The city is taking steps to demolish the pool, Gerard said.

"We appreciate the efforts on the behalf of the citizens of south Omaha and the petition drive," Gerard said. "But unfortunately the city continues to face a severe financial crisis, and we simply must go ahead with the demolition of the pool."

City officials have said not opening Morton and the Mockingbird Heights pool at 8989 Lakeview Drive would save about $21,000 a year.

Miller hand-delivered the petition to City Clerk Buster Brown on Tuesday. She said the neighborhood is beginning to fill up again with children as houses turn over to younger families.

A mother of children ages 2 to 17, she said there are 15 kids kindergarten age or younger on her block, near 39th and V Streets.

"There are a lot of kids coming up in the neighborhood, and they need something to do," Miller said.

"She also said traffic and streets make it unsafe to walk to Hitchcock pool at 5005 S. 45th St.

City Council President Garry Gernandt, whose district includes the neighborhood, said he agrees that the pool should be opened and asked Suttle to reconsider the decision.

• Contact the writer: 444-1057, christopher.burbach@owh.com

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