Haines Borough leaders are increasingly looking at permanent summer closures of the town swimming pool as a way of saving money in the government budget.
Summer closures have occurred in the past, but most of those were scheduled primarily for conducting necessary maintenance and upgrades.
The idea of permanent summer closures struck a nerve with lap swimmers, families of competitive swimmers, moms, seniors and other users. About 60 of them filled out a petition at the pool, laying out their reasons why year-round operation is important to them. Others wrote private letters or testified at Tuesday’s assembly meeting.
Leaders agreed to reduce the closure from three months to two after the school district agreed to pay half the cost of operating the pool in August. But Mayor Doug Olerud said he wants to see pool use increase to justify year-round operation and would like help from pool advocates, including working on grants for a new pool ventilation system.
Here are excerpts of what petitioners, ages 10 to 92, wrote about the importance of keeping the swimming pool open year-round.
Carol Lawrence, age 81: “Walking has become a difficult pastime. In the water I move naturally without pain. The pool is my most available productive exercise.”
Fred Gray: “Heart attack 11 years ago. They said maybe six months to one year life expectancy. Swim to live, live to swim.”
Joan Snyder, age 92: “Good exercise in all kinds of weather. It keeps my arthritic joints moving!”
Kathy Klinger, age 50+: “Stress and anxiety do not go away in June, July and August. Joints and muscles do not stop hurting just because it is summer. Mental and physical well-being is a year-round challenge. I swim at every lap swim every day because I need it.”
Klover Cinocco, age 14: “The pool is a place to swim but it’s something more. It’s community. Under Amanda Painter, the pool is a really positive, happy place where you can swim your troubles away.”
Alan Haines, almost 60: “It’s a great place for low-impact exercise. During our crappy summer weather I can exercise and my granddaughter (age 10) can burn off excess energy with her friends.”
Journey Rettinger, 16: “The pool is an extremely valuable resource for those in Haines, teaching children to swim, keeping elders healthy and being a reliable place to exercise and stay fit. The pool won’t randomly lose its usefulness over the summer.”
Jackie Brewington, 51: “I have bad hips and the pool has me so I can work and walk. I am limited to what I can do on land.”
Sophia Armstrong, 38: “I work at the school so my summers are more open. I want my four-year-old to learn how to swim but unless there are swim lessons made available for working parents, when can I teach my child? We need the pool during the summer.”
Merrick Bochart, 35: “The pool offers recreation for all ages. It has been so therapeutic for my back pain and I know my body will greatly miss the pool when it’s closed.”
Kathy Friedle, 68: “I need aerobic swimming on a regular basis for my physical and mental health.”
Jen Talley, 48: “Mental health + physical health = healthy community.”
Lea Harris, 71: “I think the pool should stay open year-round because it is a great activity for every age group in bad weather, of which we have a lot. Also, it is a very important low-impact exercise for senior citizens and recovering surgery patients. If our swim team is to stay competitive, they need the pool.”
Dennis Gudmundson, 69: “Swimming keeps my blood pressure in check. It’s good for everybody’s health.”
Hannah Bochart, 31: “The continued health and wellness of our community is important and should be protected.”
The Haines pool opened in 1984. For about its first 10 years, it was a school asset and funded through the Haines Borough School District budget. Responsibility for the pool was shifted from the school to the borough in the early 1990s.