Shari Decter-Hirst now occupies the Mayor's chair in Brandon.

 

The new mayor of Brandon wants to start discussions with YMCA officials in an effort to keep the Sportsplex pool open.

The former city council concluded a deal to fund an expansion of a new YMCA, but the move would include the closure of the pool at the Sportsplex. Mayor Shari Decter-Hirst wants to keep the pool operating, but needs YMCA officials to be open to negotiation on the pool closure clause.



The sportsplex pool loses about $470,000 annually on its operations. The mayor says she won't try to keep the pool open at any expense.



Decter-Hirst says she hasn't had a chance to dig down into the pool's operating finances, but says she's confident there are ways to improve the bottom line.