By Chris Orlet Record Managing EditorSwimmers will have a little less time at the municipal pool next summer.On Dec. 3, the Warrenton Board of Aldermen gave Recreation Director Dottie Phillips the go-ahead to trim 126 hours from the swimming pool schedule. The cuts will save the city an estimated $5,000, Phillips said.Last year, the operational budget for the municipal swimming pool was $55,759 in the red. In addition, the city spent $55,000 in capital improvements.“In total for the year we were in the hole for $111,500,” she said.Mayor Jerry Dyer said it was an unusual summer in that the city spent so much on repairs and equipment at the pool.“When you spend so much money on repairs and slides it is hard to recoup that,” he said. “I don’t know any municipal pools that make money. If we think we are going to break even on the swimming pool I don’t think that is going to happen.”Phillips said the plan is to close the pool at 7 p.m. daily. Formerly the pool was open until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and two extra hours Friday through Sunday.The plan also calls for the pool to be closed on weekdays after the beginning of the school year until Labor Day. The pool will be open on weekends, however.Formerly the pool opened at 3 p.m. after the start of the school year.Phillips said attendance was very low in the late evenings and even lower once school began.Besides the savings, the new hours will allow for adjustments to be made in evening swim lesson programs and rentals. Fewer hours could also allow lifeguard lessons and more exercise classes.Phillips said the city sold 72 swimming passes last season. Of those 66 were family passes.“Let’s try it,” said Dyer. “If we get too many complaints we’ll look at it again next year.”Phillips said she would also bid out the pool management contract for next year. The pool was managed by Midwest Pool Management last year. MPM also managed the swim lessons program, which Phillips said was of poor quality.“It was disorganized and there was no consistency in the instructors for the students,” she said. “Toward the end of the season they had issues getting staff to cover the lessons.”Phillips said she would like the option of running the swim lessons program in-house.Warrenton to cut pool hours