Community members advocate to keep Lamar Aquatic Park

LAMAR, Mo. (KOAM) - After years without a drop of water due to safety and maintenance concerns, Lamar's Aquatic Park faces potential demolition.

According to Rick Oeltjen, Mayor of Lamar, No action is being taken is being taken other than the city looking for an engineering firm to oversee the demolition of the facility and the remediation of the land in which it sits on.

However, not all residents are in favor of seeing the pool go. Susan Roland, a former swim coach for Lamar and advocate for the pool, believes the park significantly improves the quality of life for citizens.

"Our park is beautiful, and it's not just for kids; it's for all ages. Swimming and water are beneficial for everyone," said Roland.

Alongside her, Debbie Little, another advocate for the pool, expressed a desire to collaborate with the city to salvage at least part of the aquatic facility.

"We have a really great opportunity to do something great for our community right now, and we don't want to butt heads with the city at all. We want to be a helpmate to them. We want to take our ideas and what we'd like to see as a community and give them a plan of action that we'd like to see put in place by our city officials," said Little.

Mayor Oeltjen acknowledged the Aquatic Park as an issue he intended to address when elected but expressed concerns regarding the high costs associated with repairing and maintaining the current facility.

"The inspection revealed high costs, and no action has been taken yet. Various ideas and thoughts are being considered on the next steps," said Mayor Oeltjen.

The fate of the Lamar Aquatic Park remains unknown. Mayor Oeltjen says he and the city council are tasked with making a decision they believe is in the best interest of the community. Community members, however, are advocating for the preservation of the pool and emphasizing its importance as a community asset.

Lamar Community members have also created a petition to advocate for the pool and currently have over 600 digital signatures.

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