June 25, 2015
To the Editor:
It saddens me to see that, once again, the city
faces criticism for anything related to our
swimming pool. After all, the city has continued
to fund our pool generation after generation,
making a point to keep it open for the children
in our community, and many of the residents
don't recognize what it takes to fund such an
endeavor. I am all for ensuring that the
families here have what they need for our
children, but ten bucks per child for an entire
summer is a bargain, and now there's even free
lunch a few blocks away.
This is far and away more than most have in
their small towns. When I was my childrens' age,
we also had a swimming pool in Lewiston, where
we visited each summer. If I remember right,
their pool prices were more than $10 per season
over thirty years ago. I remember paying to get
into the pool there.
Our children have gone to the pool nearly every
day for the past several weeks, and those swim
passes have been worth their weight in gold.
Thanks to the amazing work of our lifeguards
(yay, Olivia and crew!), both of my boys now
love to swim, and I feel safer living near so
much water.
Rather than looking for another year of
over-extending the city, it would be nice to see
more people thanking them for keeping the pool
open and prioritizing it through all of the
years when we didn't have adequate funding.
Nowhere have I seen a city more concerned about
its children having access to a pool and
swimming lessons to keep them safe, and nowhere
have I seen leaders more concerned about
avoiding rate increases.
It's about time for all of us to stop looking
for issues to complain about regarding city fee
increases. It's sometimes necessary for all of
us to pay for the conveniences and amenities of
having nearly free (less than a dollar per week)
entertainment for our children.
Sincerely,
Val Thompson |
