HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-11-17 Public Comment - B. Carnwath - Swim Center BulkheadFirst Name Brooke
Last Name Carnwath
Email Address bghewes@yahoo.com
Phone Number 4063706627
Comments
Dear Commissioners,
I am extremely disappointed in your decision to shorten the length of Bozeman's Swim Center 50-meter pool. This
disappointment stems from both the lack of transparency and public outreach in your decision making process as
well as the effects on the quality of my (and others) swim experience.
I moved to this community a year ago and have articulated several times that the swim center is my haven: it is
where I come to relax, exercise, clear my head. I appreciate the laid-back vibe; the locker room conversations; but most of all the experience unique to a 50-meter pool. I can relax into the water in a way that a 25-meter pool
doesn't lend--there's just too much turning, too much effort, too many people in a finite amount of water.
Regarding the later--and from years of experience swimming in Missoula during busy times-- sharing a lane with 4
or 5 people in a shorter pool is a remarkably different (and more stressful!) than sharing a long lane with the same
number of swimmers.
I swim two to three times a week at the Swim Center and never once saw a public notice about the change--or
how to get involved in the decision process. This lack of transparency is disappointing, if not unethical in regards to
a city-owned resource.
And I'm not alone. This morning there was a marked sense of loss in the locker room.
Please, please reconsider this decision and explore options of a removable wall that could offer at least one or two
days a week of 50-meter swimming. Certainly, there are other communities in this country that accommodate
their swim teams and those who love the long course year round. This is certainly an issue that some good-ol'
fashion innovation could solve.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Brooke Carnwath