Some hard choices are in store for Adrian regarding the city’s public pool.

At more than 50 years old, it’s long past the expected end of its useful life. And because there are only so many times things can be repaired and patched, the city commission will soon need to make a choice about whether Adrian should continue to have a public pool in the future.

The cost of a complete overhaul is daunting — though getting rid of the pool entirely wouldn’t be cheap either, as removing it and restoring the land to its original condition would be expensive in its own right.

One issue discussed at the past few city commission meetings is that pool use has been declining. Adrian is not the only community to see this trend. Maybe kids just have more options during the summer than they used to; maybe splash pads like the one at Parish Park are just as desirable for cooling off in the summer heat.

Last month, some commissioners wondered if it would make sense to install more splash pads at parks around the city instead. There is merit to this idea. Perhaps the best argument for it is that, rather than a single large facility located on the west side of town, amenities could be spread more equally throughout the community. Putting more money into recreational opportunities like splash pads could improve quality of life across the entire city, strengthening all of our neighborhoods.

At the same time, splash pads may be good for cooling off, but they can’t offer all of the same opportunities as a public pool — swimming lessons chief among them. Drowning rates in the U.S. have ticked upward over the past few years, and we can’t ignore the benefits of more children learning to swim. The next year will help determine whether community partnerships, for example with Adrian Public Schools, can make this opportunity just as accessible to city residents as it is now.

Here is one thing we’ll say for sure: this decision should not be made based on the fact that Bohn Pool operates at a deficit every year — that is to say, user fees don’t bring in enough money to cover costs, so the difference has to be made up with general fund dollars. It’s popular to insist that government ought to run like a business, but government has a completely different purpose. The purpose of a business is to make a profit — while the purpose of government is to serve the people. Investments in quality of life don’t always make money, and that’s OK.

This moment calls for careful planning, for considering all of the options, and for public engagement. Residents should consider what they want in public recreational amenities and tell their elected representatives. When open forums are held for the next parks and recreation long-term plan, people need to attend. It’s time to come together and talk about what we want to invest in as a community — and as many people as possible need to be part of the conversation.