FLORENCE, Ky. — The fate of the beloved Florence Aquatic Center has been a highly contentious topic for people who live in and around the Northern Kentucky city. With newly returned feedback from its citizens, the city is a step closer to deciding what to do with the pool.

New survey results will decide whether the pool is demolished or stays open for the people who’ve been fighting to keep it.

Back in July, Florence City Council decided to pause its plans to tear down the aquatic center, instead opting to send out a survey to see what people really wanted after public outcry in support of keeping it.

The city sent out 7,439 surveys to all residents who receive a water bill from the city in August. Others who wanted to participate were able to pick up a survey at the city building. Thirty-two such surveys were picked up. The response was split about 50-50 on whether to keep the aquatic center.

Lesley Chambers has lived in Florence since she was 16 years old. She’s been taking her kids to the pool since it opened, and is part of the vocal group that’s been trying to rally support to keep it open.

A Change.org petition hoping to save the aquatic center has garnered almost 10,000 signatures.

“We've spent all of our summers here,” Chambers said. “All the kids are happy all summer long by coming here. They can come here and see their friends. And they’ve spent the last two summers not connecting with their friends.”

Because of the pandemic, the pool hasn’t been open the last two summers.

“I think it affects them physically and mentally and you’re talking about a whole community of kids affected by this, as well as adults,” Chambers said.

City councilman Kelly Huff said he was in favor of closing it permanently, because the city was losing money maintaining it, and not enough people in the city were using it. In July, Huff said he hoped the survey results would be representative.

Those results are now in.

“Really it was almost your worst nightmare as an elected official because the results came back almost exactly right down the middle,” Huff said.

Not only are people who returned their surveys split on keeping the pool, there are also other numbers that support both sides.

According to Huff:

• 60% of respondents said they had never used the pool.
• 54% of respondents said they don’t have access to another pool.
• 27% of surveys that went out were actually returned, which Huff said was high.

“According to the people that do this for a living, that was almost unreal, that type of response from a survey like that, she had never seen it before,” Huff said.

Chambers said she and others hoping to keep the pool found the survey results encouraging.

“It still came back favorably that 50.2% of the people wanted to keep the pool. They find it a valuable resource. It’s an investment in our community,” she said. “I think that ignoring these results would not be good for anyone, especially the youth of our community.”

Huff said the results will definitely not be ignored, but city leaders have a lot to consider.

“There are some big decisions to make. These are the tough decisions you have to make. That’s why you are elected. If it was easy, then it wouldn’t get to us,” he said. “And yes, whatever decision we make, we’re gonna make some people upset.”

Huff said he doesn’t have a time table on the city making a final decision, but it will be discussed in the coming weeks.