Earlier this year, the Capital Hill Times ran a nice article introducing  the new Superintendent of Parks, Tim Gallagher.  His strong interest in health and fitness is a great sign for pools.  This interest is not just theoretical — read the full article to find out how he managed to interview for his new position while trekking the Pacific Crest trail. 

Excerpt from: Tim Gallagher takes over the parks department
By Russ Zabel   01/01/2008

Environmental sustainability and health and fitness are issues that are a real concern for him, Gallagher said. On the environmental front, that includes the kinds of vehicles and equipment the department uses and how money is spent, he said.

Health and fitness - especially for kids - is even more important, according to Gallagher. "This will be the first generation in history where children are expected to die younger than their parents," he said with a frown.

Gallagher blames the loss of unstructured play and the epidemic of childhood obesity, which has reached the 35-percent mark in Los Angeles, he said: "It’s clearly not as bad up here, but it’s still horrible."