LETTER: Concerns about pool renovations

To the editor:

I am concerned about the renovations to the Wasilla swimming pool. I attended the meeting on Oct. 11 to review the plans for the upgrades to the Wasilla pool. The new design will cut benefits to approximately 95 percent of the current users and will not be a great help to the Wasilla High swim team. The current configuration of the pool works very well for most people but is too long for the High School to hold regulation swim meets.The new plan calls for a separate lap pool of regulation length and an additional wading pool for all other users. My concern is that this plan will make it harder for swim lessons, less accessibility for both lap and therapy swimmers and will not help the swim team as much as it could if they kept to the current configuration. Under the new plan the diving board and deep end will be incorporated into the lap pool which causes several problems for most users:

1. The swim team and diving team will not be able to practice at the same time because they would both be using the same section of the pool.

2. Therapy swimmers will have to share the same lanes with lap swimmers thus reducing access for both groups.At the meeting I introduced a better plan that will improve access to all users and be much more cost effective. All they have to do is keep the current configuration and shorten the lap lane portion to 25 yards. The benefits to this plan are:

1. No current users will be adversely affected.

2. The swim team would have a pool that they can host regulation meets in and a separate diving tank so that both teams can train at the same time.

3. The money saved could go to the Palmer pool renovation which needs much more work.

The plan was welcomed by all of the Wasilla pool users I showed it to and I think the planning people liked it but I am not sure the powers that be want to change plans even though it is a simpler and more cost effective plan that improves use for all users at a fraction of the cost. I would urge all concerned pool users to call the Borough Parks and Recreation office to express support for this simpler, more cost effective plan.

— John Zucconi

Palmer