To the Editor:

A town pool, self-supporting, would be a capital asset for the Town of Pelham and the school district. It would increase property values whether a person joined or not. It would not be found on the town, village or school district budget.

Amy Rios and I originally proposed a town swimming pool in response to the school district’s Equity Audit, which found that some students, especially in the Hutchinson district, did not feel welcome when they arrived at the Middle School. Our thought was to place a town swimming pool at the entrance to the Middle School so that kids from all over Pelham would feel that they were on home turf in the middle of town from infancy.

Further reflection has brought to light many more benefits to be gained from a town pool at Franklin Place. Its central location would make it accessible to all by car, bicycle, or foot. It would serve the school district and the town.

For the school district, the pool would be available solely to the schools during school hours, when the teachers take up all the parking spaces anyway. In New York City, as we understand it, there is a policy to teach all second graders to swim.

After school hours, the town pool would be open to residents with plenty of parking available at the Middle/High School.

We are proposing an outdoor pool of a size appropriate to Pelham’s population. There are six municipalities in Westchester County with populations the same as Pelham’s: Lewisboro, North Castle, Mount Kisco, Dobbs Ferry, and Tarrytown. Only Pelham lacks a municipal pool. A municipal pool comes with a fee schedule, anywhere from family seasonal passes to one-time use. A typical family membership could be in the $750 range, depending on how many people join. The pool budget would cover lifeguards and upkeep.

This should be a joint venture of the town and school district. The town recreation department can supervise as it does with other athletic activities outside of school hours.

The school district would contribute a small piece of Franklin Fields, two acres, as its “fee” for use of the pool. For those properly concerned with a shortage of playing fields in Pelham, we know where to find eight acres for the taking. Shore Park would need renovation along the lines of the beautiful job done at Prospect Hill. The pool, in effect, is a gift to the town and school district.

Michael Treanor

622 Pelhamdale Avenue