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McCook Gazette
Letter to the Editor

Heat the pool

Friday, September 9, 2011

Dear Editor,

I have a daughter that has been on the YMCA summer swim team for 6 years now. We have been to many outdoor pools in this area of southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.I can't not say for 100% that we are the only pool in that area that is not heated but I feel 98% confidant that it is an accurate statement. These pools are able to open sooner in the year, stay open longer in the season, and stay open later in the day, offering more time for families to get off work, have supper and still get to the pool for a couple of hours.

When I asked about getting heaters for the city pool I was told there wasn't enough business to warrant that expense. I am very pleased to see the city is looking at updating the slide area of our pool but it doesn't fix the 68 degrees the pool is for the first 3 weeks or more of the season. The YMCA team starts their practice right after Memorial Day with a meet that first Saturday. In the past they have had to use the YMCA pool, even though we pay a fee to use the city pool, because the city pool is so cold. Most athletes prefer to use the environment they are going to be competing in to practice in. So to say, "well they can just use the YMCA until the water is warm," is not being considerate of an outside swim team.

Putting aside the swim team and any other little person that freezes using the pool, it only makes sense to me that if we could offer warm water, longer hours and more days, the amount of people using the pool would only increase.

I would like to ask the city council to please consider adding this much needed update to their budget in the very near future for all the young people of summer.

Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

Kim Tietz

McCook

Comments
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  • This is easy. Find out what it will cost. Find out how many more memberships and swimmers is will cost to pay for the heated pool. Find out if the YMCA will help defray the shortfalls. Then circulate a petition and let the citizens vote on it.

    -- Posted by Hugh Jassle on Sun, Sep 11, 2011, at 11:00 PM

  • I think CPB's correct on this one. Heating a swimming pool the size of McCook's is no small feat. It costs money to retro-fit (is that the correct term?) heaters into something like that and then to maintain them. As I understand it, the city pool has enough trouble opening from Memorial Day to Labor Day with the number of memberships it has.

    -- Posted by speak-e-z on Mon, Sep 12, 2011, at 7:59 AM

  • It's my understanding that the city pool is not a revenue generator, nor will it ever be, but I agree with Kim that more people would make use of the pool if the water were heated. When my children were younger, I asked (on a 67 degree water day) why the pool was not heated. The response? "It's supposed to be invigorating." For years, my youngest son could swim only 10-15 minutes before he would have to climb out to lay in the sun for 20 minutes or more before he felt comfortable enough to get back in for another try. "Invigorating" is not a word we would have chosen! The water is positively uncomfortable the first weeks of summer, and the sparse attendance during that time is testimony to that fact.

    In addition to heaters (solar panels, perhaps?) I would also like to see the city explore options to find employees that can work the full extent of summer. It was quite disappointing to have the pool close in mid-August when there were still so many nice days to enjoy. It was also frustrating to have the pool closed other days throughout the summer due to insufficient staff.

    I'm not trying to be a nay-sayer -- we enjoy the pool very much and are thankful to have such a nice one in our community. Looking at potential improvements could only be a benefit.

    -- Posted by TrailMix on Tue, Sep 13, 2011, at 3:32 PM

  • Better yet, this could be an opportunity for private enterprise. Get a group of investors, buy the land, build the pool, and sell private memberships. The pool would be owned and operated as a private venture. No city funds will be needed, and those unable to handle cool water will be happy.

    -- Posted by Hugh Jassle on Thu, Sep 15, 2011, at 1:29 PM

  • I am fairly certain this has already been done CPB. They can go to the YMCA any time of year and swim in heated water, for a price.

    -- Posted by speak-e-z on Thu, Sep 15, 2011, at 4:13 PM

  • yes, lets throw more tax money away. Let's take a traditional summer cooling spot and spend money heating it up. then afterwards we can enjoy a glass of iced tea fresh out of the microwave. thanks kim for bringing this up. I'm sure that because it will cost more the city will jump all over it.

    -- Posted by BTWinecleff on Thu, Sep 15, 2011, at 10:23 PM

  • I hate to admit this but I'm going to...... BT makes a good point, the pool IS a place to cool down. I'm not sure the watee temp is as much of a factor in regard to early season swimming as the air temp itself. After you get used to the water temp its OK, its the getting our of the water that torments the swimmer.

    -- Posted by Nick Mercy on Thu, Sep 15, 2011, at 10:54 PM
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