I received this well thought out letter in the mail concerning the Aquatics Center and I asked Kara to add it to the blog for everyone to read. She has a lot of very good points.

I am writing you as a former lifeguard, current health professional, and concerned New Haven property owner regarding the proposed new Aquatic Center.  As recently as this past August I witnessed the dilapidated state of the current Jury Pool and was somewhat embarrassed for our park board and community.  I was embarrassed that only three out of six toilets worked in the girls’ bathroom, embarrassed at how cloudy the water looked due to a filtration system that is in disrepair, embarrassed that there are huge irreparable chunks of concrete missing out of the sides of the pool, embarrassed that the public address system inexplicably buzzes uncontrollably and is difficult to understand, and embarrassed at how few of the overhead lights worked during the night rental.  It is somewhat obvious that action needs taken soon, and minor repairs are an impossible solution.

Not too many years ago, as the Head Lifeguard,  I remember getting compliments all the time about how clean and nice Jury pool was, how great it was that we had a high dive and large water slide, amenities that other pools in the area did not have.  These were comments coming from people sometimes driving an hour each way to visit our pool. I can assure you, Jury has not been a “community pool” for a long time.  In my more than ten summers working there, I have already seen it as a “destination” facility.  Unfortunately, now the main thing bringing patrons to this destination is the fact that it is ridiculously cheap.  However, wouldn’t it be nice if outsiders were coming to Jury again because we have the best pool around with more amenities than can be found anywhere else?   For example, the proposed splash pad, lazy river, slides, and play structures, and still the best swimming lessons in the area.  And what if these people were coming here paying a competitive price, spending their money not only at the pool, but other New Haven businesses?

I also had the opportunity to serve on the Community Aquatic Advisory Committee (CAAC) that for over a year researched possibilities for the replacement of Jury Pool.  This involved extensively asking the public what they wanted.  Contrary to what some citizens say at public hearings, the results of our surveys and questioning found the community is overwhelmingly in support of a facility of this nature with the amenities previously mentioned, and having NO pool in the current location was strongly discouraged.  In addition, the committee found that a community of our size, in the seasonal Midwest, can support an aquatic facility like the one being presented, and have it be financially self-sufficient, if not a money maker.  Unfortunately, the most outspoken opponents to this project complain they do not want to spend this much money on an outdoor pool.  However, they fail to realize that research by the CAAC finds that both smaller pools, even the size of the current pool, and indoor pools do NOT turn a profit, and indoor pools are much more expensive to build.  Building a “scaled-down” version of the proposed project will actually cost MORE money in the long-run as operating costs outweigh revenue every year.  In addition, cities in warmer climates still have only three month seasons for their pools due to the fact they just do not get used during the busy school year, regardless of the weather.

I know the issue has also been raised about the possibility of a community center in New Haven, and unfortunately some people want to pit these projects against each other.  In recent years we have seen a lot of money in our city go towards projects like a new downtown, a new football stadium, new city hall and police station, new roads, a new city maintenance facility, a new library, and new fire station.  All of these are great projects that make our town physically look good and function efficiently.   However, as an optometrist working in the health care industry, this disappoints me, because at the same time there are people that do not want to put forth the money or the effort to improve ourselves physically.  I see patients almost every day with eye damage from type II diabetes; it is the number one cause of blindness in our country, and almost totally preventable with diet and exercise.  This is true for a multitude of other common health problems and top killers in the United States: heart disease, strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure and cholesterol, not to mention all the problems caused by obesity.  All of these conditions are on the rise, and alarmingly in children as well.  The fact of the matter is if we are not proactive now in using our tax money to create more enjoyable and convenient recreation and workout facilities, both indoors and outdoors, it only ends up costing us later.  When people have not developed good health habits and are not taking care of themselves physically, the health aliments mentioned earlier result in everyone forking out tax dollars to support Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Disability.

I believe our questions here should not revolve around whether or not to do these projects at all, or which one, but rather, how can we make both a reality keeping in mind that the current Jury Pool may not last another season.  The estimated tax rate impact is relatively low, just a little over a dollar a week for the average New Haven home.  This is little to ask considering the fact that we deserve a community that is a healthier, more fun, unique, and overall desirable place to live and raise our families.  Please support the new Jury Aquatic Center and what makes good business sense for New Haven by speaking out at the public hearing before the City Council on November 13^th at 7:00 pm

Best regards,
Kara Heine Laughlin, O.D.