I think people feel this pool is the only investment Moscow is going to make
for a long time in recreation. So the issue is more than whether this is a
good pool design; it is whether this pool going to meet Moscow's
recreational needs for many years to come.
As I said at the council meeting, I think it is a great recreational pool.
Expanding on that, I think children of all ages will flock to this in the
warm summer months. But it really isn't a multi-use swimming facility.
Moreover, Moscow has greater recreational needs than this. We really need
indoor recreation. The Egan Youth Center closes at 5 p.m. weekdays and isn't
even open on weekends. The school gyms are jammed all winter with basketball
teams. UI won't let kids into the kibbie dome unaccompanied.
Unfortunately, the pool committee was not able to look at any recreational
plans other than a pool. So, I think (although I could be wrong on this),
people who see the need for indoor recreation hung their hats on an indoor
pool because they had already been told that was the only indoor recreation
they could hope to get out of this proposal.
I think the pool committee is correct in not building an indoor pool,
although I do not agree that this is the best outdoor design. I also think
the pool committee is hearing a lot of frustration that probably has more to
do with the decision not to build a multi-purpose recreation center--a
decision that they were not part of.
I'd like to think that we can still tweak this proposal to get a little more
of what people want, and as Greg says, if it takes a little more time to do
that, it may be time well spent. We certainly aren't going to have a pool in
1999 if this proposal goes down, but I think some people think this proposal
needs to be defeated to get more in the way of indoor recreation.
Lois
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Lois Melina
Editor, "Adopted Child" newsletter
P.O. Box 9362
Moscow ID 83843
phone: (208)882-1794
fax: (208)883-8035
Lmelina@moscow.com
www.raisingadoptedchildren.com