NATCHEZ — Metropolitan YMCA has hired an aquatics director dedicated solely to managing Natchez’s community swimming pool.

The YMCA offered the position to Monica Bihm, who has served since the pool’s opening as the swim instructor and swim team coach, first as a volunteer and later as a paid employee.

“They have offered, and I have accepted,” Bihm said Wednesday afternoon.

The decision came at the recommendation of the Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission during the commission’s regular meeting Tuesday night.

Four citizens, including Bihm, attended Tuesday’s meeting to express concerns during the public comments portion of the meeting about the management of the Natchez YMCA’s programs.

Pam Frank distributed to commission members printed copies of text messages and emails she said parents of the YMCA’s T-ball programs sent her expressing disappointment in the management of the program by YMCA of Natchez Director Alice Agner, specifically stating that team coach appointments had not been made.

Commission member Jimmy Ware expressed concerns about Agner’s management of the pool, specifically two weeks ago when the Jackson Sunkist Swim Team was coming to the pool for a Saturday demonstration.

“There was no manager there,” Ware said, adding that he as a member of the commission was not aware of the event and had to learn of it from a community member who called to let him know.

Agner was out of town on vacation during the weekend of the Sunkist swim team meeting. Ware said he also had to make arrangements for grass around the pool to be cut.

“That’s the manager’s job,” Ware said.

Agner said she had notified people she would not be in town for the Sunkist event.

“I had already advised my boss and Tate (Hobdy) and the person from Sunkist that I would be out of town that week,” Agner said. “So they all knew. I keep Tate informed of my whereabouts as a courtesy and keep my boss informed.”

Agner said Bihm was in charge of the pool in her absence.

Roseminette Gaude told the commission she had been at the pool earlier Tuesday and witnessed YMCA patrons asking for their money back for youth a soccer program they said they believed had been canceled.

Agner said the program had not been canceled.

Also in attendance at Tuesday’s commission meeting was Jara Miller, chief executive officer of Metropolitan YMCA of Jackson. The YMCA of Jackson is contracted through the commission to manage the community pool and the youth programs, such as T-Ball and soccer. The YMCA of Jackson hired Agner to administer the programs in Natchez.

During the comments portion of the meeting, Bihm expressed concerns that Agner might be overstretched in her duties with managing the pool and the youth programs and other aspects of directing Natchez YMCA efforts.

The commission went into executive session to discuss personnel issues and came out and voted to recommend the YMCA offer Bihm the aquatics director position and also asked the YMCA to consider hiring a person to manage youth sports programs.

The YMCA agreed to offer Bihm the position and to study the possibility of the youth programs manager position and come back to the board with recommendations at a future meeting.

Recreation commission chair Tate Hobdy said the meeting was an example of how the process works.

“There was definitely some emotion in there,” Hobdy said. “They have complaints, bring them to us, and we make changes as needed. Sometimes it is not as fast as they like.”

Contacted Wednesday morning, Agner said she was satisfied with the resolution.

“I think it would be good,” Agner said of hiring Bihm as the aquatics director,
“because going into this pool opening I was the only YMCA employee.”

Agner said having a pool manager will free her up to focus on other projects the YMCA wants her to focus on, including capital improvement projects.

“Now that I can step away from the pool some,” Agner said, “I can dive into those projects.”

Bihm, who has been active in organized swimming most of her life, said she is excited about becoming the pool’s manager.

Top of her priority, she said, is finding a way to get a heater for the pool so it can be open year around.

“Immediately, I want to really, really find the money to get this heater,” Bihm said. “It is imperative we get this heater, be it through donations, fundraisers, I don’t care. If we get that heater, the next thing I want to do as I believe we should have been doing from the beginning, is to bring many programs to the pool.”

Bihm said she would like to have Saturday morning yoga sessions at poolside, water aerobics for all ages, and water training for football and soccer players.

“We have a lot of taxpayer money invested into the pool,” Bihm said. “Let’s use it 24-7, 365. I don’t want taxpayers to look at it in a couple of years and regret it.”