A drop slide could make the city’s savings go down the drain, officials say.

The East Lansing City Council voted three to two in favor of improvements to the pool, located at 6400 Abbott Road, which includes the repair of a bathhouse floor and a drop slide.

Councilmembers Bill Sharp and Beverly Baten both voted against the improvements saying the $38,900 drop slide was an unneeded expense..

“This is not the time to do a drop slide,” Baten said. “I would like to put a little more money in the bank with the aquatic center.”

The drop slide will be more than 10 feet tall and will drop riders into the deep end of the pool around 3 feet above the surface.

While installation of the slide may not be finished until June, most of the improvements should be completed by May 25.

With the pool’s budget, there is enough to do the repairs and add the amenities, Mayor Mark Meadows said.

Meadows served as liaison to the pool development committee.

The drop slide and a sand volleyball pit were delayed when the city chose to test the center first.

Both would have cost the city $50,000 to construct.

“I know there were a lot of amenities that floated around,” he said. “But there was a lot of support for that drop slide.”

The council members argued the money saved on the drop slide could be saved in case of poor weather conditions during the summer season or for repairs.

City officials agreed when they approved the project that the city would not subsidize the pool if it does not break even.

The bathhouse floor, which has caused slip and fall accidents, should be considered, Sharp said.

“I am concerned that we keep the money in the bank in case we have some problems reopening this thing,” he said. “I would really like to keep that $45,000 liquid in an account.”

This is not the first time the pool has met with controversy.

Since it opened in May, its $412,277 cost has caused problems in a slumping economy.

The money saved from the reduced cost of the slide could give the pool a cushion, Councilmember Vic Loomis said.

And the slide might not be the success that others project.

“I’m not a pool architect but my opinion is the drop slide is going to take away a very usable part of the pool,” Loomis said.

But Tim McCaffrey, parks and recreation facilities director, said the slide has proven popular in other communities.

“Anytime you put an attraction like this in, it will attract folks,” he said.