City Pool Debate
Tuesday June 23, 2009
Though I recognize the economic necessities behind the movement to spraygrounds around the metro, I also expressed my disappointment last month when it was announced that the Oklahoma City Council would close three city swimming pools for 2009. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to feel that way.Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly convinced his colleagues to keep the Douglass pool open, and he is now leading the fight to champion the good old-fashioned swimming pool in OKC. "Every child in the city should have an opportunity to learn to swim,” Kelly said at last week's meeting. "A child can’t learn to swim from a spray park.”
Money is, of course, the big issue. The city has plans to fund improvements to the Earlywine Park, a family aquatic center, and a compromise could come in the building of another similar facility. Unlike other swimming pools, the aquatic centers generate significant revenue. In my mind, it also seems a good solution to begin charging a small admission for the traditional pools, all of which are currently free.
Photo © Adam Knapp
They need to keep the pools and yes charge a small fee. Mustang changed their pool and now have one that is all of 4 feet deep. Give me a break…. My kids now go swimming down at the river as it tends to be a bit deeper than the city pool. What happened to the good ol days?
The city used to charge admission for the smaller pools, but voted this year to make them free to encourage more participation. I appreciate Councilman Kelly’s push to keep city pools open. However, he also minimizes the popularity of the spraygrounds and their value in bringing families together in the neighborhood parks.
I agree with Sam Bowman’s comments that we need both quality swimming pools and spraygrounds to meet more citizens’ desires/needs.
Agreed Kris. As for the admission, I think that move is counterproductive. You encourage more participation but also incur greater costs, only continuing the push for closures. Like you, I’d prefer a nice balance of the aquatic centers, traditional pools and spraygrounds, and I think admission is necessary to maintain that.
i would like to know why there is nothing near where i live in the britton area these kids don’t have a spraypark, or pool the pools that were around here closed up years ago.. and there is plenty of space for one to be put in.
Summers swimming in the city pools are one of my fondest memories of childhood. I think the spray parks are wonderfull but every child and adult, should have access to a swimming pool. Why not charge admission and develop an income based pass for those families who cannot afford admission? What good are FREE pools if the city has to close them down? Seems very counterproductive to me.