Letter: Update on keeping a 50-meter pool in Jasper

Well…. As most of you have read, the outdoor Jasper Swimming Pool design has been unanimously approved as of Tuesday’s meeting by the Jasper Park and Recreation Board. Was it just approved as of yesterday or was it set in stone before then? I was told in early August the outdoor pool would be difficult to change at that point. After hearing that, I started the petition for a 50-meter pool to stay in Jasper, not to cause a ruckus, but to see how many likeminded people there were in our community. With the petition quickly raising over 750 signatures, I was impressed, to say the least. It shows how many people our current 50-meter pool has impacted over the last 67 years. I am sad to see it go.

I will say, the outdoor pool design does look fun. I am sure many, including my own family, will enjoy the facility. I have read the new pool design will be “inclusive waters,” as the Dubois County Free Press says Tom Moorman stated (Sept. 2023).

According to the American Psychological Association, “inclusion strives for an environment that offers affirmation, celebration, and appreciation of different approaches, styles, perspectives, and experiences” (2022, para. 4). With that in mind, having a space that is accessible and designed for everyone to utilize is a must, but competitive swimming is specifically excluded from our current outdoor pool design.

Yet, moving on to other possibilities, the petition led me to talk with a lot of great people about aquatics, including Mayor Vonderheide. Another opportunity for a 50-meter pool in Jasper is the proposed Regional Wellness Center. From what I have gathered, it will be difficult and take a lot of community and external support to get a 50-meter indoor pool, but would be more ideal because it would be accessible all year long. The Regional Wellness Center is proposed to have a 14,000-square-foot aquatic center along with many other amenities, but it is still in the development stages from what I have read (Crane, 2023). If I can urge you all, stay up on this, contribute to the discussion of the Regional Wellness Center. I made a mistake of not staying informed on the proposed outdoor pool… I was not aware of the workings of it… Was anyone else?

With the Regional Wellness Center, here are my thoughts for a successful aquatics center, not just emphasizing a 50-meter pool… There needs to be an aquatics coordinator. There needs to be a pre-developed plan and schedule for infant safety courses, child and adult swim lessons, elderly water aerobics, water therapy schedules, Special Olympics swimming, American Red Cross lifeguard training, swim safety courses AND competitive swim training. There are organizations outside of our community that offer grants for supporting these types of programs, such as USA Swimming or the Michael Phelps Foundation. These organizations have granted funds to non-profit organizations, such as the YMCA, who have a proposed aquatics program that includes child water safety and competitive swimming.

Maybe instead of a small indoor pool within the Regional Wellness Center, we could compromise and consider a four or five-lane 50-meter pool (50-meter by 10-meter or 50-meter by 12.5-meter pool, 2 meters deep), which would not be large enough to hold competitive swim meets but would at least be available for competitive swimmers to train in and assist in applying for some of those grants. Just a suggestion.

Staying informed as a community member will be important so we can have input on what happens within our community. Visit jasperindiana.gov/council/ to stay informed on what is happening, when meetings are scheduled, and what is on the agendas. The next Common Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. What is on the agenda, I am not sure… But we as a community are invited to attend via Zoom, according to the City of Jasper website. Reach out to the councilmen or Mayor Vonderheide and ask how to attend one of these meetings in person or even how to present a proposal for an aquatics program at one of these meetings if that is an interest of yours.

For those who have not yet seen the petition to keep a 50-meter pool in Jasper: https://chng.it/9Kqmj8vd9C

~Tara Knight, Jasper (Just another committed community member and swim mom 🙂

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead

References:
American Psychological Association. (2022). Equity, diversity, and inclusion. https://www.apa.org/topics/equity-diversity-inclusion
Crane. M. (2023). Dubois County Council considering $500,000 contribution to Regional Wellness Center. https://duboiscountyfreepress.com/dubois-county-council-considering-500000-contribution-to-regional-wellness-center/
Dubois County Free Press. (Sept. 2023). Jasper outdoor pool plans approved. https://duboiscountyfreepress.com/jasper-outdoor-pool-plans-approved/