It looks like Scona Pool will tread water for another year. After a vote last night, the city’s Community Services Committee decided to recommend that this iconic community pool receive funding in the next municipal budget.
This is great news for the residents of Ward F, especially those of us that spoke with our city councilors and urged them to keep Scona Pool open. As the Marketing Director for the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, I know how important this pool is to healthy, liveable neighbourhoods. I also happen to be a frequent user of the pool myself, so last week I did my part to help with the effort. You can read my letter to the councilors on the Community Services Committee by clicking here.
But wait. Why is a candidate for public school trustee talking about a community swimming pool on his campaign website? What does this have to do with public education?
Well, for starters, the Scona pool is an important aspect of student life at Strathcona High School. In fact, their championship swim team relies on this resource to train and have fun together in a welcoming, friendly, community facility. The Edmonton Journal provides good coverage of this important connection between school and community here.
But swimming pools aren’t only useful for filling the school’s trophy case. Community recreation facilities like Scona Pool directly contribute to a happy and healthy learning environment. Happy and healthy children make focused and successful students, and they bring their positive attitudes and accomplishments with them back into the community. This makes our neighbourhoods better places to live for everyone.
Edmonton Public Schools needs a new kind of trustee who will keep the school system involved in these kinds of issues and decisions. Our school board needs to build collaborative relationships with City Council so that when city and school issues overlap, the voice of students and their communities gets heard.
Click here to see Scona Pool’s fall schedule – there’s a lot of great programs and activities coming up!
Click here to get involved in Michael’s campaign! You can also contact Michael by clicking here and donate to the campaign by clicking here.
2 Responses to “Scona Pool Stays Afloat for Schools and Communities”
Hello
I am a student at Strathcona High School and a member of their swim team. Scona Pool provides a friendly, stress free environment for hundreds of people in the community, as well as nearly 200 students who swim with the Scona Swim Team and rely on Scona Pool as a source of exercise, recreation, friendship, and stress relief.
Two years ago I didn’t like school at all, and did everything I could to avoid it. Now, thanks to Scona Pool, I love school and would rather be there then anywhere else.
If Scona Pool were to be closed, it would be impossible for the school’s swim team to continue helping hundreds of students get fit and become active in there community.
My daughter began attending Scona High just as the pool closure started. As a long-time resident on Old Strathcona this plan came as a shock.
1) Why is this pool more at risk than others in/near other high schools?
2) Are we (as parents) and our children not constantly upbraided by the media and government busybodies about how we are fit enough? And do we not want them to learn life-long fitness? How does closing a high school pool accomplish that?
3) Just before the announced closure, City Hall approved the replacement of the old QE Outdoor “Summer-only” Pool – adjacent to the Kinsman Park in the River Valley at an incredible cost. Who coordinated this kind of “left-hand not knowing what the right is doing” policy. Shouldn’t that have had an bearing on the QE “Summer-only” pool decision?
4) Facility Costs. Mayoralty Candidate Dorward has an interesting example of how “gold plated” our construction practices has become when he compares the $40 million GO Centre with the new $128 million YMCA in the SW part of the city. Are city planning officials not being as skin-flinty as they should be?
I suggest we adopt the IKEA philosophy to many public offices more often – cheap, cheerful and easily replaced when needed.