Instead of spending $100,000 to $125,000 on repairs to Elks Pool this year, the Bismarck Parks and Recreation board voted unanimously Thursday not to open the pool for the rest of the season and to invest $6,000 in a study to look at the district's water programs and facilities.

Steve Neu, parks director, said Thursday he hopes preliminary study recommendations will be ready for the park board in time for its August meeting.

The Elks Pool will be closed for the remainder of the season. It didn't open this year because the pool wouldn't hold water. Neu told the board two return lines of the pool's gutter system are in bad condition and there is a problem with the equalization tank.

Neu said rather than repairing the pool to adequate condition, the district could better use the money by examining long-range plans, which may identify better uses for the pools.

While the recommendation from Neu was to close the pool for 2004, newly elected park board member Mark Zimmerman said he hopes it won't be a permanent move. However, he also noted that opening it in 2005 might not be the best option either. Neu said the study will "look at what (the district has) and make it better."

Chris Dropinski and Pat O'Toole of GreenPlay, a Colorado consulting firm that specializes in parks and recreation and open space management, will be looking at the aquatic facilities in the community. There's no timeline for releasing their findings, but Neu said he hopes to have some plans to implement for next summer.

In addition to considering repairs at Elks Pool and how to improve the pools to attract more people, Dropinski and O'Toole will look at the possibility of forming a partnership with other entities, such as the school district, to determine how to serve their specific needs.

Dropinski said while there is good use of the facilities available, they're not necessarily what people are looking for today.

"It presents a lot of opportunity to enhance what's already here," she said.