Group to discuss new outdoor pool
July 10, 2012 at 2:55 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
WORTHINGTON Several projects have been accomplished in Worthington thanks to the grassroots efforts of local residents the restoration of Memorial Auditorium and the Dayton House among them. Continue Reading
“but at the same time, he said there was a “misconception in the public” about the size of the outdoor pool.”—- Now THEIR’S an understatement. The whole place is a sham. Tiny pool, one small gym, etc. Was there a “misconception” or were we just plain duped? Seems like we get a lot of “misconception” when someone wants a shiny new building. Remember when “West Elementary building was sinking and just had to be replaced?” I see it’s still above ground, and being used today yet after they got what they wanted. IMO, the “NEW” YMCA , was poorly built, poorly located and, with the absence of some of the programs of the past, (baseball, softball, etc.) poorly managed!!
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Outdoor pools (public or private) make very little sense in our area. They’re hugely expensive to build and maintain and, let’s face it, can only be used a few months each year. You don’t see many homes with pools. What do homeowners know that public officials don’t? There’s NO return on investment.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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“. What do homeowners know that public officials don’t? There’s NO return on investment.”— There is absolutely a return on the investment. It’s a place for the children to swim safely, and not have to worry about coming home full of green slime from our wonderfully maintained lake. It keeps a lot of them active, and affords good exercise for those that would otherwise sit in front of the TV playing video games. I’d say that’s a HUGE return for our money. Although the same could be said about the windmills just west of town. If I remember correctly, we were told that if they used our public money to build them, we would all see a reduction in electricity bills once they were paid for. Has your electric bill went down any?
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There’s no doubt that swimming provides important benefits. My point is that an outdoor pool is used 4 months out of the year. 5 tops. Yet it has to be maintained even in the off-season. We already have one outdoor pool. And, judging from the picture, it looks under-utilized. There appears to be lots of room for more swimmers. How many more outdoor pools do we need? If you think this is the most practical use of public funds, go to Facebook and “like” it.
Focus on facilities that can be used year around. Is there a Facebook group supporting library expansion and improvements?
As for the windmills, that’ll have to be a discussion for another day. Hold that thought.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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“. And, judging from the picture, it looks under-utilized. ” It’s VERY small and there’s a lot of folks that can’t afford or won’t buy a membership just to use the pool. With the public pool the “patch” system seemed to work well and others could buy a day pass for a couple bucks. Me thinks the reason the pool is under utilized also, is because from what I’ve heard a LOT of people have dropped their “Y” memberships due to the smallness and unavailability of the resources for the kids to use on a lot of days.
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If somebody is trying to convince someone else to buy into their idea, common sense dictates that they need to market it properly. In this case, it would have been wise to take a picture when the pool is FULL. Thus we might think a second outdoor pool is needed to handle the crowds. Right now, it’s not convincing.
Even though the picture is “small”, anybody can see there’s hardly anyone using it! The image was much larger in the print version of the Globe, if you want to compare. But that’s beside the point. It’s underutilized.
The Y pool offers “open swim” every day during the summer and, I believe, you don’t need a membership to use the pool. (Someone can feel free correct me. I’ve got broad shoulders.) So, if in fact open swim means EVERYBODY can use the pool, then people have no monetary excuse not to take advantage of it. Here’s the schedule and you’ll see open swim hours are pretty generous.
http://www.ymcaworthington.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=10
We will see how this plays out. Talk to your city councilman to let him/her know your thoughts.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Perhaps I wasn’t clear. I meant that the POOL was very small, not the picture of the pool. My apologies for not being clear. The “open” swim simply means there are no structured activities or programs scheduled for those time periods. To swim in the “Y” pools, you have to be a member, or pay $4.00 per day for a “guest pass”. When I see that the city can spend over $4 million dollars just for a fancy firehall, I think they can spend a little to add additional recreational opportunities for our youth to enjoy. I’d also like to see some money put into a NICE baseball/softball complex, and put a little up to have some tournaments, that would attract a LOT of people into our hotels and restaurants, giving the local economy a boost. Instead of spending so much time worrying if you parked on your lawn or have a weed next your house, do something that’s actually economically smart, and will actually draw people to our town.
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Every town for miles around has a municipal pool, so people aren’t going to come to Worthington just a swim when the weather’s conducive. Travelers on I-90 won’t pull off the road to take a dip, either.
Several years ago we had a big outdoor pool, not far from Centennial Beach. How much did the city charge swimmers then? More than the $4 the Y charges non-members today?
What happened to that pool? It was underutilized, often wasn’t open if the temperatures fell below a certain level regardless of season, and finally developed cracks and became a “money pit” to maintain! Yep, it was filled in and that was that. How was THAT a great return on the city’s investment? Do you think the city lost any money on that? If you think they didn’t, you’re fooling yourself.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I thought the outdoor pool at the Y was originally supposed to be bigger, but made somewhat smaller due to budget.
I think it was hard enough to get the pool built at the Y. Good luck getting another public pool built.
I, too, wish to watch my children swim.
I wish the Y would provide an area for parents outside. There certainly is enough room back there.
Parents are allowed to sit in the viewing area inside only.
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“Every town for miles around has a municipal pool, so people aren’t going to come to Worthington just a swim”— But it WILL keep the folks HERE that travel to Adrian, etc.
” How much did the city charge swimmers then? More than the $4 the Y charges non-members today?”—- $3.00 —-How was THAT a great return on the city’s investment?”…. See my July 11 post. If you want the city to grow and look appealing to possible new residents, you have to take chances. Perhaps building it next to Olson Park would be another idea to draw in travellers looking for campgrounds with amenities!
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It’s pointless to continue the discussion about “public funding” for yet another outdoor pool.
For those who are so convinced this is an “absolutely” brilliant idea, with a “HUGE” return on investment, why don’t you all become PRIVATE investors in the project? Put up your own money, eliminate any risk that the City of Worthington could get left holding the bag, and you can keep all the revenue? You’ll have to assume some liability, of course, but heck, it’ll be worth it! People will flock from miles around and you’ll be RICH, RICH! At $3 per head, you’ll recoup your investment in — well, probably never — but as Ellamay said you have to be prepared to take chances.
It’s kind of a Kevin Costner “Field of Dreams” thing. Remember, “build it and they will come”. You could call it “Ellamay’s Pool of Dreams”. “Build it and they will swim.”
So. everybody who agreed with, and gave Ellamay the “thumbs up” when she pronounced this as a necessity to keep Worthington growing and viable, please step forward with checkbooks in hand.
If you were truly honest, you’d realize that an additional outdoor pool will add nothing to the quality of life in Worthington. Nothing. The city had one, it was a bust, it was filled in, and the city lost lots of money.
If you private investors can do better, go for it. Keep big government out of your lives.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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“For those who are so convinced this is an “absolutely” brilliant idea, with a “HUGE” return on investment, why don’t you all become PRIVATE investors in the project? Put up your own money, eliminate any risk that the City of Worthington could get left holding the bag”—- Uhhhmm, hate to tell you this but, the city HAS no money of it’s own. It’s called tax collections, etc. so in effect it IS our money. We ARE funding it, if built.
“she pronounced this as a necessity to keep Worthington growing and viable, please step forward with checkbooks in hand.”—– Show me in ANY of my posts, where I stated it was a “necessity”! What would YOU like to see them spend some more money on, something YOU would personally use? More entitlement programs? ——— “So. everybody who agreed with, and gave Ellamay the “thumbs up”, Somebody’s ego take a hit due to lack of agreeance with your “only what I want” attitude?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I’ve got broad shoulders and couldn’t care less about ‘thumbs up’ “agreeance”. “Agreeance”, by the way, is NOT a word.
I’m well aware that MY tax dollars fund city services. Along with everybody else’s. I don’t want to see MY tax dollars wasted on such a ridiculous project. There are far more legitimate reasons to NOT fund it at the city level than there are for doing so. It’s obviously nobody is “personally using” outdoor swimming pool we have today, for whatever reason. It CAN’T be the $4 charge if people were paying $3 before. Oh, and the $4 access to the Y pool is available YEAR AROUND. That sounds like a better deal to me.
As for other programs, I’d rather fund food shelves, meals-on-wheels and after school programs – to name just a few – than spend one dime on a pig-in-a-poke that can only be used 3 months. But, that’s just me being practical and sensitive to the needs of others.
So, go talk to your private investors. Better yet, why not go all out? How about a WATER PARK along I-90!? That’d be sure to get people to come from miles around. And you could charge more than $3. Where’s your entrepreneurial spirit? Apparently, you don’t mind risking or wasting other people’s money.
What part of “been there, done that” don’t you understand when it comes to outdoor pools? Get real.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Other readers…
Who else has suggestions about how to spend the city’s limited resources (and our taxpayer dollars) on worthwhile projects or programs for residents and visitors? We’ve already heard from the ‘outdoor pool’ proponents. What other ideas are out there?
Money is tight. How about another policeman on patrol? How about cleaning up Lake Okabena? More street lights? Bike racks? Bike trails?
Let’s turn this into a productive discussion. I, for one, would love to hear from you. And, I’m guessing the mayor and city council would, too.
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““Agreeance”, by the way, is NOT a word.”
“English[edit] EtymologyFrom Old French agréance, from agréer (“to agree”); as if agree + -ance.
[edit] Nounagreeance (uncountable)
A state whereby two parties share a view or opinion; agreement.
I am in agreeance with you
[edit] ReferencesDictionary.com. Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. [1] (accessed: May 01, 2008).”
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“Money is tight. How about another policeman on patrol?”— EXCELLENT idea!!!! “How about cleaning up Lake Okabena?”— Another good idea!!! More street lights?– “Yep” “Bike racks?”—- Seriously??? Go grab the one sitting where the public pool used to be!! Bike trails?”– Already working on that one!!. One of MY ideas?.. NICE, sports complex for Baseball Tournaments, Softball Tournaments, Soccer Tournaments. The County Fair could also use a HUGE facelift, though that probably hasn’t got so much to do with the city.
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