Supporters of the only public indoor swimming pool in western Louisville vow to continue a fight to keep it open, even after it closes on Friday.

''People are always talking about revitalizing the West End,'' said Marion Smith, an aqua fitness instructor at the Central High School Natatorium. ''I'm not convinced the issue is money. I think it's just a lack of commitment.''

Officials with the Jefferson County Public Schools, which owns the natatorium, and with Metro Parks, which maintains and operates it, disagree.

They say the decision to close the natatorium is all about money. They say it could cost as much as $1 million to repair the 30-year-old pool, which leaks badly and needs other upgrades. Neither the school system nor Metro Parks is willing to take on the expense.

Smith and other pool supporters are taking their case to school board members, the Louisville Board of Aldermen and Jefferson Fiscal Court.

''That's the chain of command we are following,'' said Dr. Marilyn Brown, a dentist with an office on West Broadway who also teaches swimming classes at Central. ''I think the real anger comes from that fact they have not planned better for the long term.''

Metro Parks has no budget for capital repairs for its nine pools, said to Doug Voss, the agency's director of aquatics.

Metro Parks and the school system spent about $40,000 last summer to reopen the Central pool after leaks occurred. Voss estimated it would cost at least $330,000 to make lasting repairs.

School officials estimate that the cost would be much higher, up to $1 million. They base their estimate on what they spent to renovate the pool at Shawnee High School. Shawnee's pool is a sister pool to Central, having been built at the same time.

''We upgraded it (Shawnee) to new codes and added dehumidification and that was at least $900,000,'' said Mike Mulheirn, school system director of facilities and transportation.

The Shawnee pool is open to the public for some scheduled classes, but it primarily caters to school system needs.

Mulheirn said leaks at the Central pool led to more than 9 million gallons of water being used in a recent two-month period, leaving the school system with a $30,000 water bill. Adding the cost of heating and treating the water during that period pushed the total cost to $60,000.

''We're willing to work with (Metro) Parks, the city or the county,'' Mulheirn said. ''We know how to fix it, and to do it right takes a lot of money.''

Smith said public interest in the Central pool has never been higher, with more than 8,500 visits logged in the past five months. The pool has been used by nearly every swim team in the county, Voss said, and about 800 second-graders have used it for beginning swimming classes during the year.

Voss said Metro Parks' only other indoor pool, the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, is currently at capacity. He hopes that Shawnee will pick up some of the additional needs. Classes for second-graders have been moved there.

Central supporters say the community will be the big loser.

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