We have a community pool in Patagonia for another year. It’s the only one in Santa Cruz County outside of Nogales. From May through August, the pool offers swimming lessons for kids, water aerobics, lap swims, and open swims. There is also a new filtering system this year. Sounds great, right? Well it is, and yet . . .
The pool is jointly funded by the school and the town, each putting in $10,000 a year to operate and maintain it. Unfortunately, that covers only about half of the annual cost. Use fees help fill the gap, but they are not sufficient. Foundation support is not an option because foundations fund only nonprofits. Grants available to schools are limited to funding only things that directly support students, so, for example, they won’t cover the cost of lifeguards who are over 18. Perhaps more critical, in the cash-strapped PUHS and the cash-strapped town, the pool is just not a priority.
So we have this resource that is chronically at risk. Martha Kelly, the town’s representative for the pool, dreams of using solar panels to heat it, allowing it to be open during a greater proportion of the school year. That and a volunteer coach would allow PUHS to again have a swim team. Another dream is putting a bubble over the pool, allowing it operate it year round. But these are just dreams. Right now, the priority is covering the cost to maintain and operate what we have.
Some local people seem willing to contribute to the pool. Town Manager Dave Teel has offered to set up a separate pool account in the town to hold private contributions. That seems like a good idea. If we want to keep our pool, it looks like the community must step up and help pay for it. If you want to give, call Martha Kelly at 604-0300.