It leaves me sitting here scratching my head and deeply pondering all involved.

This town has certainly had other decisions made well before they were ever put to the people, as we are all painfully aware.

Also, consider this, council and administration seem to find the money for many other items on their agenda. do they not? I am genuinely appalled by the behavior of the city council and city administration in regard to this matter of public trust over the last nine to 10 months.

In the meantime, people who rely on this facility for fitness and mobility have been declining physically, myself included.

Yet, all the while administration and council have been crowing on and on about how in tune they are with providing fitness and wellness opportunities for all residents. I suffer with a severe form of arthritis.

It is not possible for me to exercise vigorously in land-based exercise.

When I started at the pool several years ago, I could barely walk because of extreme, unrelenting joint pain.

The pool was my last ditch effort to remain mobile — a true "Hail Mary."

I began swimming and slowly built up the amount of time my joints could stand the exertion.

In the pool, I experienced freedom of movement that I had not had in well over a decade and I was not in excruciating pain doing it.

The heat of the water was actually soothing and unbelievably therapeutic. I was able to exercise daily and extremely vigorously, reaching a distance of at least a mile a day and spending over an hour daily exercising.

I formed friendships and bonds with the staff and other attendees. They were all an amazing support system for me and full of encouragement, and I tried to be the same for them as they worked toward their fitness goals.

My balance began to recover. My joint pain became more manageable. My health overall improved remarkably with my doctor more than pleased and, I dare say, shocked at the results I was achieving. Currently, since being unable to attend the pool regularly, my condition has deteriorated rapidly. Lest you be fooled into thinking that attendance at the pool is only based on the elderly and disabled, let me assure you that it is the one facility this town offers that caters to ALL people — infant to elderly, abled to disabled.

It supports the swim teams of three local schools, numerous wellness classes, and lap swimmers.

It provides vital, life-saving service in a community surrounded by water. It provides a place for training for local water rescue teams. For many children and adults alike, learning to swim at this pool has kept them safe during future outings on the lakes and rivers and given them the confidence to exploit the beautiful natural resources of this area.

It provides a family-friendly, low-cost environment for entertainment and fitness alike. The pool was never intended to make a profit, and neither were any of the other recreational facilities. Of all of the recreational facilities, I would posit that the pool actually brought in the most money of any of them when it was operated in a fully functional state.

Many people who utilize the pool are physically unable to use other recreational amenities offered by the city.

As a taxpayer who does not shirk my civic duty to pay my taxes on time, I find it absolutely disgusting that the one amenity that I am able to utilize has been handled with such incompetence over these many months. This facility was voted into existence. The residents of the city stepped up and said, "yes, we want this."

In doing so, they accepted the fact that a portion of their city taxes would be used for the operation and maintenance of the facility.

As this has never been voted out of existence, the original covenant remains intact. Yet, the current city council and city administration believe they have the right to completely violate the trust of the voters. The passage of time does not matter. If anything, it strengthens the case for keeping the trust.

While this facility may not be one that you personally use, think about this — what is the next item on the agenda?

Voter trust apparently means absolutely nothing to the current city administration and city council. How will you feel when it is something that you and your family utilize that they decide to throw into the scrap heap? — Kimberly Laughrey 

Kimberly Laughrey is an entrepreneur in the medical industry who has resided in the City of Roanoke Rapids for the last 16 years.