Community pool won't make a splash without support
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Most people agree that Moorpark should have a public swimming pool. But the city can't afford to build and maintain such a costly facility on its own, according to officials.

Teamwork is the key to making things happen, said Councilmember Mark Van Dam, who served on the Parks and Recreation Commission before he was elected to the City Council, and who's been advocating for a public pool for several years.

Public pools can create job opportunities for young people, keeping them busy and engaged with the community.

They can help run the facilities or work as lifeguards or swim instructors, said Em Blattner, a Swiss citizen who came to the U.S. six months ago to serve as youth pastor for Moorpark Presbyterian Church.

"When teens are left without anything to do, it creates social problems," he said.

"Community pools are great," said Vanessa Sichmeller, who has seven children. She and her husband moved into a community that has two pools managed by the homeowner association because they like to enjoy the facilities without having to worry about the liabilities. Sichmeller said she would support a city-owned pool.

A public pool would provide a safe and affordable means of teaching water safety to children and adults, said Theresa HagmanLawson, mother of two young boys and a former City Council candidate.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 3,482 unintentional drownings in the U.S. in 2002. Drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death among children under age 15.

A supervised public pool in Moorpark would contribute greatly to public safety, HagmanLawson said.

But financial concerns can't be ignored.

"The big problem is ongoing maintenance costs, estimated at hundreds of thousand of dollars a year," said Clint Harper, former City Council member.

City and Moorpark school officials discussed building a community pool at Arroyo Vista Park in 2003, but because both city and school district budgets fluctuate, continuing costs were a concern.

The facility would have been used jointly by the Parks and Recreation and school aquatics programs. But when Mavericks Gym arranged with the school district to let high school students use the gym's pool, talks between the city and the district fell apart, Harper said.

The pool is not at the top of the priority list for city officials, who must use available resources to manage traffic, growth and housing issues first, Van Dam said.

The city plans to conduct a survey this fall to find out what residents want most- a new library and a new gymnasium have been mentioned in addition to a pool- and whether they are willing to pay more taxes for new amenities, said Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley.

"To make a pool a reality . . . we need to put together a group of dedicated individuals, including parents, city and school district personnel, and find some alternatives and options to funding this project," Van Dam said.

In the meantime, area residents who don't have access to private pools must go elsewhere to enjoy water sports.

"We, and many other Moorpark residents, enjoy the summer club activities in our sister cities because our city lacks this summer essential," said HagmanLawson.