The following are words of my own, and do not represent my employers. (And
in the case of the city council, I guess all of you Moscow residents are my
employers.)
As a mother, who accompanied my three children to water-babies before they
could walk, I am also a firm believer in water safety. (Particularly given
our environment of lakes and rivers in North Idaho.)
The first thing we need is a pool. After we have a pool, I think there are
solutions for making sure that all Moscow children have the opportunity to
learn water safety. Several came to my mind after reading the most recent
concerns expressed about the pool.
#1 Part of the money that Moscow School District will save by not
paying rent for a year-round facility could be used for scholarships for
children to take swimming lessons in the summer. Lessons in the summer
would eliminate the need to figure out how to fit swimming lessons into the
structured framework of a typical schoolday, with a multitude of subjects
competing with each other.
#2 Another idea would be to have a series of intensive swim workshops
once school has opened up at the end of August. This would certainly help
with the transition that always faces our own children when they leave
"summer vacation" and sit inside classrooms on hot days.
#3 Perhaps the Moscow School District, the City of Moscow, and Latah
County could create a system where the first level of swimming lessons is
always free to anyone, no matter where they attend school.
This is just a beginning of many creative solutions for a valid concern.
And who knows, after all these children learn to swim, maybe we'll see the
need for a 50 meter indoor pool, to inspire homegrown Olympic athletes. (I
mean can you imagine the pool we might have right now if Dan O'Brien used
pools instead of tracks?)
Pam Palmer, private citizen