In our business, managing your labor costs is paramount.

I hope we can join eighteen other states in saying that $5.15 an hour is not enough.

We still need to decide what we can afford. Where do we draw the line?

We feel the community is talking about a community center, which could be phased in or discussed at a later date. We want to get the outdoor pool solidified. We have to approach this in a financial and judicious way.

We want people to understand that we have to look at maintenance costs and staffing in decisions on design elements for the pool.

We want the public to feel ownership in the process. We have to look at our finances. We have $1.5-million to work with. We are operating under two constraints -- time and money. If the public comes back with more (money for other options), it's up to council to approve it. Council is an integral part of the process.

We're confident (the state board) will uphold the elementary appeal and it will be a good way to win the trust of the district.

Some people have suggested looking at additional ways to fund pool elements. At this point in time, these are not in place. I have to manage the $1.5-million as best I can. Right now my main priority is to figure out funding at hand and focus on the outside pool.