Diving into POOL

The subject of building a public outdoor swimming pool for the city of Carbondale has long been a topic of discussion in this town. Currently the City administration favors a water park where the Superblock is, but many other people favor the location of the old high school football field, according to Carbondale POOL (People Organized against Only Lakes).

At present, Carbondale parents have only three options 1) drive the kids to Cedar Lake a few miles south of town, where the water heats up to volcanic levels by July, 2) drive them another 4 or 5 miles eastward out of town to Little Grassy Lake, or 3) own a swimming pool. For a city that sponsors so many family-oriented activities, and hope to attract businesses and new residents, this is unacceptable.

“Why don’t they build a pool at the site of Bleyer field?” asked one resident at a task force meeting on the topic. “Racism,” was the unspoken reply. “The city doesn’t want to put its white residents swimming at the same pool as the black.” Not so, says William Peterson, chairman of People Organized against Only Lakes (POOL). “The people of Carbondale support a public swimming pool, no matter what their race--butterfly, free style, or breast stroke.”

Supposedly, the School Board plans to sell the old high school property in May. Maybe the Board could DONATE the football field and tennis court to the Park District to build a pool and tennis courts and maybe an ice rink--a park Carbondale can be proud of. This would enhance the value of the other property the School board wishes to sell. It would also enhance the value of the property all around, and attract more people to town, which would mean more high school students in the future.

POOL is hoping the city of Carbondale will pool its resources and build a swimming pool before the second July. Not the second of July... but the second July. That ought to be enough time.

If only the School Board will...and the Park District...and the City of Carbondale...and Southern Illinois University...and POOL can pull it off.