HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-06-22 Public Comment - L. Barnard - Swimming Pool(s)From:Larry Barnard
To:Agenda
Subject:Swimming pool(s)
Date:Saturday, August 6, 2022 4:22:12 AM
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Dear Commissioners
I am pleased to see the COB is fast tracking the repairs to the swim center at the High School.That facility has been a critical public infrastructure throughout its long life.And was key to
many championship swim teams from Bozeman.With that said, I hope the commission and the management of the City of Bozeman will now
reflect on how pathetically remiss our city government has been in the last 50 years when itcomes to providing the citizens of our city with adequate opportunities for recreation and life
safety in the form of aquatic facilities. I grew up in a small town, population 450, in ruralMontana where we had a swimming pool and the chance to learn those life skills and have fun.
Two nearby towns with populations of fewer than 400 each also had swimming pools. In fact,all three towns with a current total census of fewer than 750, still have swimming pools for
their youth and their adults. I have lived in Bozeman for over 50 years and now our town is truly a city. Yet there is the
one delapidated outdoor pool at Bogert Park and the swim center which is out of commission,for now. Our population in Bozeman has more than doubled in those years and in that time
Bogert is just barely functioning. Local parents volunteer to paint the facility. Even 30+ yearsago it was too crowded to teach our children to swim.
Sure, there is a pool on campus and the private pools abound and there's one at the YMCA.Those don't count. The truth is the COB dropped the ball a long, long time ago and hasn't
made it up to the public yet. It is time to look out for the people that live here and stopthinking about the developers' needs for a minute. Unless, of course, we tax them to pay for
real public necessities. This isn't news. Some of us have been beating this drum for a long timeand we don't even get excuses. Yes, there has been some lip service and probably some
expensive studies but there hasn't been a new public outdoor, or indoor for that matter, poolactually created for over 50 years.
I am not expecting a reply. That isn't how it works in Bozeman government anymore. I dohope that the experience with the swim center's closing will morivate our local goverment to
make up for lost time. Best regards
Larry BarnardBozeman