Economic conditions necessitated the recent halt of our efforts to see the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan funded this year, but the news wasn’t easy for any of us.  We thought you would appreciate the supportive words sent to us by many members of the City Council:

"I appreciate your understanding.  Yours are some of the best grassroots lobbying efforts that I’ve seen this year, and I truly hope that we will be able to move forward with this in the near future."  — Tim Burgess

"I appreciate your recognition of our budgetary situation and the difficult choices that are ahead of us.  Your generous decision to postpone your effort on behalf of Project Seattle Pools is commendable. It gives your organization much credibility and it certainly will not be forgotten. We thank you for recognizing the constraints and are grateful that you have taken this action so that others may be served.  It has been a great pleasure to get to know you and your organization and I am optimistic and hopeful that we can work together in the near future."  –Councilmember Jean Godden

"I will build upon your work and seek to further our efforts to improve our pools as well as plan for additional pools when possible in the future.   Right now we are scrambling to feed and house people and keep our commitment to human services programs. Please keep in touch."   — Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

"Thank you for your understanding. Let’s hope that our economy is in a very different place this time next year." – Councilmember Jan Drago

"Thanks very much for this thoughtful and reasonable decision.  I am very sorry that this is the situation, and appreciate how hard you are working on this." –Councilmember Richard Conlin

"I think most people would agree that public swimming pools are an appropriate and desired component of any municipal parks system, and Seattle could no doubt make good use of additional pools.

…  I am very concerned that the Mayor’s proposed budget may well need to be trimmed when we get updated sales tax and business & occupation tax revenue projections.  These two sources provide nearly 40% of our General Fund revenues and are both very sensitive to changes in consumer spending, which appears to be slowing in a significant way.  (We have already seen a huge falloff in real estate excise tax revenue.  A year ago we were projecting that we’d receive $51 million from this source in 2008, but now expect to receive only $33 million.) 

If the updated revenue forecasts do require us to cut from the proposed budget I think we will again be forced to consider reduced library and community center hours.  I’m also concerned about possible voter rejection of the upcoming Parks Levy and how we will find the millions of dollars for necessary seismic and mechanical upgrades to the city-owned Asian Art Museum and Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center that are included in the levy package. 

…I see both the need and value for more pools, it is simply a question of what we can afford and whether this is the time." — Councilmember Richard J. McIver

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Project Seattle Pools thanks the Lakewood-Seward-Park Community Association for its recent letter of support for the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan.  Excerpts:

Dear Mayor Nickels,

The Board of the Lakewood Seward Park Neighborhood Association voted unanimously to support the Project Seattle Pools initiative. 

…Pools can be used by all age groups, require a minimal outlay of money, and provide a venue for family activity that is comfortable all year long in all weather conditions. 

The vision, mission and values of Seattle Parks and Recreation described in the Strategic Action Plan (SAC) are supportive of exactly the kinds of benefits provided by pools.
•    Vision: “Creating Community”
•    Values: Programs that “Encourage health and fitness” and “Provide opportunities for lifelong play, creativity, learning and discovery.”

We live in a city surrounded by water.  We own it to our families to offer opportunities for children to learn how to swim that will help them remain safe while participating in water-centric activities.

…We applaud the work of Project Seattle Pools and thank the volunteers in this grass-roots community organization for using their time and talents to make Seattle an even better place to live.  We hope the city will do the same.

Dolores Ranhofer, President
Lakewood Seward Park Community Association

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Project Seattle Pools invites you to join us on Facebook.  Thanks for helping us spread the word about this project!

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Project Seattle Pools thanks State House Representative Jamie Pedersen for his recent letter of support.  Excerpts:

Dear Tom Rasmussen,

I am pleased to endorse the efforts of Project Seattle Pools to pursue a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle and hope that the city will include funding for such a plan in the 2009 budget.  I am thankful for the volunteer work of community organizations such as Project Seattle Pools that strive to make Seattle an even better place to live.

According to the Center for Disease Control, "…fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years." We need to provide opportunities for all children to learn how to swim.  We should also ensure that our elderly and special needs populations have the kind of facilities and programs that will keep them healthy.  My district, like the city, spans the isthmus from Puget Sound to Lake Washington.  I think we owe it to our residents of all ages and abilities who live in a city surrounded by water.

…Now is the time to plan for future aquatics facilities and programming that address the needs of all of our citizens.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Best wishes,
Representative Jamie Pederesen

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Late today, Councilman Rasmussen let us know that the economic crisis facing our country is putting an increasing burden on the city budget.  The Council just received new budget estimates that require additional cuts of $7-10 million, possibly more. 

For this reason, it will not be possible to fund the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan this year.

In the interest of helping the Council focus on the difficult budget process ahead, we’re ending our lobbying efforts today. 

Thank you for your flood of strong letters to the Council — your letters have given new visibility to our public pools and their needs.  Letters like yours would have succeeded in any ordinary year, but these are not ordinary times.  

We wish the Council the best of luck in balancing the budget while bringing support to those who need it in the tough times ahead.

Thanks for your support.  We’ll re-group and re-evaluate together over the next few months.

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Now is the time! We need your personal email or phone call to the City Council to build Council support for a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle.  Thank you….you will make a difference.

The Council gathers budget input during the month of October 2008 and makes its final budget vote in November.  The Council needs your input TODAY.

Please email each Councilmember individually to show your support.  Sending each email separately has a greater impact than sending a single email to all Councilmembers at once. Tips:

• Tell them you support funding a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan — a forward-looking vision for modernizing and enhancing Seattle’s system of public pools.
• Tell them what enhancing our pool system means to you personally.
• Thank Councilmember Rasmussen for his leadership on this issue.

Seattle City Council: P.O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov 684-8808
richard.conlin@seattle.gov 684-8805
tim.burgess@seattle.gov 684-8806
jean.godden@seattle.gov 684-8807
bruce.harrell@seattle.gov 684-8804
nick.licata@seattle.gov 684-8803
sally.clark@seattle.gov 684-8802
jan.drago@seattle.gov 684-8801
richard.mciver@seattle.gov 684-8800

If funded, the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan will answer important questions, such as:  How will the City fund long-term maintenance of new facilities? How can we modernize our existing facilities? Does our current programming meeting the needs of citizens? What new programs and facilities are required? Where can they be located?  What are our top priorities?

Such a plan provides the necessary research and community process to allow individual groups to later spearhead and raise funds for individual projects, such as a pool renovation to include a warm-water therapy pool or a new outdoor pool east of I-5.  We need to begin planning now in order to be ready for consideration in the next levy – pools were not addressed in this levy because they lacked sufficient planning.  So let’s fund a plan!

Additional tips for contacting Councilmembers can be found here. 

For further information, please contact elizabeth@seattlepools.org. A Word version of this alert that you can hand out to friends is available here.

Thank you for your support.

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An enthusiastic crowd of citizen activists attended the City Council’s Budget Hearing yesterday and spoke for many issues important to the people of our city. 

16 costumed pool supporters received a strong round of applause from the audience for their testimony — and probably also for their costumes (goggles, swimsuits, towels, flipflops, a sunhat, several pairs of water wings, a wetsuit, rubber ducks, a fish float ring and an inflatable alligator).  It was a pleasure to participate and speak for our public pools.  Photos kindly contributed by Danielle Morrow.

Elizabeth:  My name is Elizabeth Nelson and I am here on behalf of Project Seattle Pools.  I would like to thank Councilmembers Rasmussen, Conlin and Burgess for their leadership towards a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan and their sponsorship of this budget item.

I would also like to thank the other attendees and speakers here tonight.  These are difficult times for our city and country, so I’m glad to see so many of my fellow citizens supporting the core services provided by our city.

In tough economic times like these, we must still look ahead to a brighter future and engage in long-term planning.  Modernizing our city’s aging public pool system will provide health benefits to citizens of all ages and abilities, but it will require careful long-term planning.

We’re here looking ridiculous in our goggles, wetsuits and water wings to share with you some of the sunshine and joy that swimming brings into our lives.  We ask for your help in bringing the sunshine of swimming into the lives of more Seattle citizens.  It’s hard to swim in the lake in October, even in wetsuits.

We urge you to fund a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle. 9/10 of our pools were built over 30 years ago, kids are being turned away from lessons and many of our pools are packed to the gills.  No public pool has a graduated entry ramp for wheelchair entry.  At the same time, pools are the poster child for a challenge facing the entire Parks Department – long-term financing for maintenance and operations. 

The Comprehensive Aquatics Plan will answer fundamental questions such as:  How should the City fund long-term maintenance and operation of pool facilities? Which current facilities need renovation and how much will those renovations cost? How can we best provide healthy swimming opportunities to underserved populations?  And how should all of these needs be prioritized?

Yvette:  My name is Yvette Moy.  We are here to represent our neighbors in the Southeast. We would like to remind you that the Jefferson/Rainier Valley area is acknowledged by Parks to be underserved by pools of any kind.  Also, there is no outdoor public pool anywhere in Southeast Seattle, or anywhere else east of I-5. 

Laurin:  I’m Laurin Williams, a high school swimmer, and I’m here to represent the many young people who care about our public pools.  Due to the shortage of pool space, I get up at 4:30 am to join my team in the pool.

I’d like to address how the proposed budget cuts the “Learn to Swim” program.  This program provided vouchers for free lessons to 1,300 3rd and 4th graders each year.  62% of these kids started out as non-swimmers.  Flyers were mailed in 11 languages, so some kids arrived at lessons translating for their parents.  The site with the highest redemption rate for vouchers was Rainier Beach Pool. 

The elimination of the Learn-to-Swim program demonstrates how long-term financing issues for Parks impact basic health and safety programming.

Whitney:  Good evening.  I am Whitney Hite, Head Swim Coach at the University of Washington, but I am here tonight as a private citizen to lend my support for the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan.  As I was heading over to Beijing this summer to witness swimming in the Olympics, I read an article in an outdoor magazine.  It rated Seattle as the second healthiest city, only because of a lack of swimming facilities. It would have been rated number one. As we all saw in the Olympics, there is immense support for swimming in this city and country.

Shelby:  I’m another high school swimmer who gets up at 4:30 am to swim.  I’d like to share a quote from the Learn-to-Swim web site:

“Because we live in a city surrounded by water, we believe that swimming is a basic life skill which is essential for every child in Seattle. Studies have shown that children are developmentally receptive to learning to swim at this age. They are able to acquire the foundation for a lifetime of healthy activity and an added level of personal safety.”

Thank you for your time and please support the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan.

Video of the hearing is available on the Seattle Channel — see the October 8, 2008 budget hearing here.  We’ve heard we’re about 89 minutes into the video.

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The Orca Swim Team just sent an enthusiastic, water-stained petition to the City Council, signed by 45 members of their team:

Dear City Council,

We are Seattle registered voters who support Councilman Rasmussen’s Comprehensive Aquatics Plan and ask that you vote to fund it in the city Budget.
Seattle last built an indoor pool in the 1970’s… Ridiculous!!!! If Michael Phelps wanted to swim in a world class facility in Seattle, where would he go?  The UW pool is dilapidated, and closed to the general public.  Our population has more than doubled, and studies show swimming is one of Seattle’s primary forms of recreation.  Please build more pools!!!!!

A description of Orca, from their site:

The Orca Swim Team, established in 1984 by a group of swimmers preparing for Gay Games II, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of swimming and to educating the public about the value of sports in community-building. We are an active association of gay/lesbian and gay/lesbian-friendly fitness and competitive swimmers with approximately 100 members.

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Our thanks go to our Parks Department for helping us understand the ins-and-outs of the City’s proposed biannual budget for aquatics. 

1. Eliminated: 

• The Learn to Swim program, which provided free vouchers for swim lessons to 1,300 3rd and 4th graders each year. 62% of these kids were nonswimmers.           

2. Reduced: 

• Lifeguard hours at public beaches on weekdays.  Lifeguards will go on duty at noon instead of 11am on weekdays.  Free lessons at public beaches will continue at a new time.

3. Included (Terrific!):

• Funds to plan for replacing Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool because both facilities have reached the end of their functional lifetimes.
• Funds for repairs at Coleman Pool, plus the conversion of a storage room into an accessible (ADA)  changing room.

4. Missing: 

• Funds for a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan.  The budget includes funds to repair aging facilities, but not to do the long-term planning necessary to modernize our public pool system to meet today’s needs.  The elimination of the Learn to Swim program highlights the need to investigate financing options for long-term needs, as the CAP would do.  This cut reminds us that we need to tackle long-term financing issues for Parks to ensure basic health and safety programming.
• Any additional funding for UV treatment of public pools.  UV is needed to eliminate cryposporidium (an organism that causes illness) and also to allow the use of pool covers for energy efficiency.  This leaves  out Ballard, Coleman, Rainier Beach and possibly Medgar Evers.

What will budget cuts mean to our communities?  We thank Parks for swiftly delivering info on possible impacts:

Lessons:  "62% of those enrolled in the Learn to Swim (LTS) program indicated they were new to swimming. Free lessons at beaches and LTS at pools [reached] some ethnically and economically diverse populations. The information was mailed to families with translations in 11 languages. Many children arrived to register and translate for their parents.  Free swim suits were provided to those with a need. The highest redemption site for the LTS vouchers and free swim suits was Rainier Beach Pool. Demographic statistics on beach lessons is not kept, but based on conversations; they were able to reach families with financial need. "

On Lifeguards:  "There is a concern that we will struggle to find qualified people to work as lifeguards when a summer schedule would generally range between 30 and 34 hours per week (past years was ~35); all work is weather dependent."

[Image:  "2008 Learn to Swim Poster Winner," as seen on the Parks web site.] 

[Updated 10/9/08:  New info:  Parks will keep the free lesson program at public beaches on weekdays. It will open beaches at noon on weekdays instead of the original forecast of 1 pm.]

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The Montlake Community Club for sent the following enthusiastic letter of support for the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan to the City Council:

The Montlake Community Club Board has read with great interest the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle and with this letter joins the growing movement of support….  The Montlake Community Club represents over 1400 households that in order to swim for enjoyment, health, safety, fitness or competitive training must join an organization or in many cases drive a great distances to another region of Seattle or Bellevue.

While we understand there are budget constraints we would like to point out that this plan is unique in that it supports one of the widest spectrums of citizens from; seniors, families, children, sports enthusiasts, infants and anyone who requires physical therapy. Public pools ensure that no one is left out of this opportunity because of geography or economic reasons.

It is obvious that after the recent Olympics that the interest in swimming with our children has grown and as a major city should be in a position to foster that interest. We want to thank the Project Seattle Pool’s efforts in driving the plan to this point and thank you for your recent agreement to support the plan.
 
Sincerely,
The Montlake Community Club

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The ARC of King County recently sent a strong letter of support for aquatics planning to each member the City Council.  The ARC advocates for members of our community with developmental disabilities.

Dear Councilman Rasmussen,

I am writing to you to support the Comprehensive Aquatic Plan for the construction and expansion of pools for public use in Seattle.   Pools that are currently available now are overcrowded and not fully accessible.   The overcrowding, for a person with a disability is a huge deterrent as well as having full access to the pool.   Pools need to be upgraded and modernized to achieve accessibility. 

We know that people with disabilities benefit greatly from the recreational outlet and therapeutic value of pool use.

We support many people with disabilities and their families who would greatly benefit from the use of an accessible public pool.   I encourage you to not only go forward and build more pools in Seattle but also, when you are considering this plan, to pay attention to the needs of people with disabilities so that there is access to all who may want to use it.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter to the people of Seattle.

Sylvia Fuerstenberg, MSW
Executive Director
The Arc of King County
Serving People with Developmental Disabilities and
Their Families Since 1936
www.arcofkingcounty.org

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Here’s a snippet that you can contribute to your neighborhood, team or school newsletter — or any other community news venue.  Thank for your help in spreading the word!

A Comprehensive Aquatics Plan for Seattle

Have you ever wondered why there isn’t an public, outdoor pool on the east side of Seattle, or why our indoor pools can’t be open 7 days a week, or why no Seattle pool has a graduated entry ramp for easy wheelchair access? The members of Project Seattle Pools have.  For the past year, this city-wide, grassroots organization has been reaching out to Parks Department Staff, the Mayor’s Office, City Council and pool users from all over the city to craft a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan (CAP).  If funded in the City’s 2008 Budget, the CAP will answer fundamental questions such as:  How should the City fund long-term maintenance of pool facilities? Which current facilities need renovation and how much will those renovations cost? What should new facilities look like and where should they be located? What programs are required to meet the needs of Seattle’s citizens?  And how should all of these needs be prioritized? Community input gathered from a series of public meetings would contribute to the final CAP recommendations.

The cost of the study is an estimated $225,000 and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen is gathering support among his colleagues in order to include this request in the 2008 budget.  These are tough economics times, as everyone knows, but this request is very small considering the size of the entire budget.  Timeliness of the study results is key if pools are to be addressed in any future capital funding opportunity for Parks. 

Please visit www.seattlepools.org for more information about the study, the organization, or to find out how you can get involved.   

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