SAVE THE POOL: Bring Back Community Activities
The Issue
Pave over a pool and put up a parking lot? In Florida? That defies common sense. Sounds like an old Joni Mitchell song. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot… you don't know what you’ve got 'til it's gone.”
Recently, Martin County School Board closed the 49-year-old pool at Martin County High School (MCHS) on Kanner Highway in Stuart, Florida for 8 weeks, during scholastic swim season, to address maintenance issues. The school district is considering whether to make repairs to the pool or permanently close it. Repairs include replacing the pool heaters and fixing cracks and liners.
Dick Landrum, a member of the committee working to save the pool, noted that about every five years for the past 38 years, the school district attempted to close it because of operating costs. In March 2024, dozens of people spoke at a School Board meeting to save the pool.
We’re asking you to help Save the Pool. Please sign this petition.
According to the CDC and Florida Department of Health, from 2019 to 2021 combined, Florida was ranked highest in the U.S. for unintentional drowning deaths among children ages 1 to 4 years. Annually in Florida, there are enough children under the age of 5 lost to drowning (between 60 and 75) to fill 3 or 4 preschool classrooms.
In Martin County, in the decade before the pool was built, there were 48 aquatic deaths.
In a state surrounded by water, that is shameful and preventable. The more pools where children and adults can learn to swim, the better. The MCHS pool is one of only TWO in Martin County. (The other is Sailfish Aquatic Center on Willoughby Blvd., opened in 2011.) In similar-sized cities around the country as Martin County, the number of pools range from 18-42. (See chart at bottom.)
The MCHS pool was built in 1975, on county-owned property, after several years of fundraising spearheaded first by the Soroptimist Club and then by the Kiwanis Club.
The goal of the fund was to raise $100K that would be matched by Martin County for construction.
In a truly community-wide effort, 526 organizations and individuals gave donations from $2 to $9,000, through cake sales, pledge cards, flower sales, restaurant pool days and even a house construction in Golden Gate.
The Palm Beach Times and Stuart News kept everyone informed of the fund progress.
On June 29, 1973, School Superintendent James Navitsky said maintenance and operations would be picked-up by the school budget. “It is a logical move for the school system because of the educational and classroom value.”
He also said the High School swim team would only use the pool 10% of the time and the remainder would be available for public free swim. It would also be available for swim lessons, therapy, group programs, and general recreation. Goals anticipated that every school child would learn to swim starting in the 4th grade, and swimming competency would be a prerequisite for high school graduation.
Indeed, in the first year, fourth graders took Drown Proofing classes as part of P.E. Class. The pool also scheduled high school swim team practices, WSI & Life Saving Classes, Swim & Water Safety for Adults, Free Swim, and lap swimming for adults.
Flash forward to 2024.
The MCHS team is now practicing at Martin County Sailfish Aquatic Center, along with 3 other school teams (South Fork, Jensen Beach, Pine School); 2 big age group teams (Treasure Coast Aquatics USA Swimming and Martin County Swim Club); Special Olympics; 9 scuba diving programs; synchronized swimmers; divers; water polo players; lap swimmers; and learn-to-swim classes. Sailfish also hosts swim meets for all of the teams.
Managers at Sailfish Splash Park run a well-organized ship, but the stress is palpable. The pool is highly regarded across the state. Olympian Caeleb Dressel’s name appears on the record board twice for setting state and national records while swimming in state championships at Sailfish.
WPTV aired stories about the situation in August 2024. MCHS coach Daniel Hartley said practices now must start three hours later than normal, which has led to issues with transportation.
“We only had three lanes for what was almost 30 to 40 of us and it was really tight,” said a student swimmer. “You were constantly on top of someone, and you couldn't really do any of your strokes or any of your drills, because you were constantly having to stop to let someone pass you or to pass someone else.”
Said Hartley, “The kids want to be successful. They're just not given the tools to be successful from the people who should be looking out for them.”
Hartley told WPTV their MCHS swimming and diving teams normally use the Kanner Road pool for practices and competition in the fall. Most of its use, though, is from the Martin County Swim Club, which pays rent and has many public school students as members. The pool is normally used by the public in the mornings, afternoons and on weekends, district spokeswoman Jennifer DeShazo said.
One MCHS alumnus said at the March School Board meeting, “I would encourage you to keep the pool – if for no other reason – to keep teaching children to swim,” he said. “We live in an aquatic community, [and] we need children who can swim and not drown. Yes, you have Sailfish Splash as an alternative, but I would say you need both. When they built the pool on the high school grounds, the population was less than 60,000; today, we have well over 160,000 residents in Martin County.”
As the Florida DOH initiative to educate communities says, Water Safety is Everyone's Responsibility. Swimming is fun and good for health. Let’s not wait to find out what we had when it’s gone.
Please sign this petition to tell the School District that we need this community pool and to tell the County Commission that we need more community pools throughout the county.
Express your thoughts to these contacts:
School Board- RobertsCL@martinschools.org; PowersM@martinschools.org; RusselJ@martinschools.org; PritchA@martinschools.org; MoriarB@martinschools.org;
All School Board Members- schoolboardmembers@martinschools.org;
Superintendent- MaineM@martinschools.org;
MCHS Principal & Athletic Director- selvidc@martinschools.org; mobergj@martinschools.org
County Commissioners- comish@martin.fl.us
Thank you.
CHART: SWIMMING POOLS PER 100,000 RESIDENTS BY CITY
1,592
The Issue
Pave over a pool and put up a parking lot? In Florida? That defies common sense. Sounds like an old Joni Mitchell song. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot… you don't know what you’ve got 'til it's gone.”
Recently, Martin County School Board closed the 49-year-old pool at Martin County High School (MCHS) on Kanner Highway in Stuart, Florida for 8 weeks, during scholastic swim season, to address maintenance issues. The school district is considering whether to make repairs to the pool or permanently close it. Repairs include replacing the pool heaters and fixing cracks and liners.
Dick Landrum, a member of the committee working to save the pool, noted that about every five years for the past 38 years, the school district attempted to close it because of operating costs. In March 2024, dozens of people spoke at a School Board meeting to save the pool.
We’re asking you to help Save the Pool. Please sign this petition.
According to the CDC and Florida Department of Health, from 2019 to 2021 combined, Florida was ranked highest in the U.S. for unintentional drowning deaths among children ages 1 to 4 years. Annually in Florida, there are enough children under the age of 5 lost to drowning (between 60 and 75) to fill 3 or 4 preschool classrooms.
In Martin County, in the decade before the pool was built, there were 48 aquatic deaths.
In a state surrounded by water, that is shameful and preventable. The more pools where children and adults can learn to swim, the better. The MCHS pool is one of only TWO in Martin County. (The other is Sailfish Aquatic Center on Willoughby Blvd., opened in 2011.) In similar-sized cities around the country as Martin County, the number of pools range from 18-42. (See chart at bottom.)
The MCHS pool was built in 1975, on county-owned property, after several years of fundraising spearheaded first by the Soroptimist Club and then by the Kiwanis Club.
The goal of the fund was to raise $100K that would be matched by Martin County for construction.
In a truly community-wide effort, 526 organizations and individuals gave donations from $2 to $9,000, through cake sales, pledge cards, flower sales, restaurant pool days and even a house construction in Golden Gate.
The Palm Beach Times and Stuart News kept everyone informed of the fund progress.
On June 29, 1973, School Superintendent James Navitsky said maintenance and operations would be picked-up by the school budget. “It is a logical move for the school system because of the educational and classroom value.”
He also said the High School swim team would only use the pool 10% of the time and the remainder would be available for public free swim. It would also be available for swim lessons, therapy, group programs, and general recreation. Goals anticipated that every school child would learn to swim starting in the 4th grade, and swimming competency would be a prerequisite for high school graduation.
Indeed, in the first year, fourth graders took Drown Proofing classes as part of P.E. Class. The pool also scheduled high school swim team practices, WSI & Life Saving Classes, Swim & Water Safety for Adults, Free Swim, and lap swimming for adults.
Flash forward to 2024.
The MCHS team is now practicing at Martin County Sailfish Aquatic Center, along with 3 other school teams (South Fork, Jensen Beach, Pine School); 2 big age group teams (Treasure Coast Aquatics USA Swimming and Martin County Swim Club); Special Olympics; 9 scuba diving programs; synchronized swimmers; divers; water polo players; lap swimmers; and learn-to-swim classes. Sailfish also hosts swim meets for all of the teams.
Managers at Sailfish Splash Park run a well-organized ship, but the stress is palpable. The pool is highly regarded across the state. Olympian Caeleb Dressel’s name appears on the record board twice for setting state and national records while swimming in state championships at Sailfish.
WPTV aired stories about the situation in August 2024. MCHS coach Daniel Hartley said practices now must start three hours later than normal, which has led to issues with transportation.
“We only had three lanes for what was almost 30 to 40 of us and it was really tight,” said a student swimmer. “You were constantly on top of someone, and you couldn't really do any of your strokes or any of your drills, because you were constantly having to stop to let someone pass you or to pass someone else.”
Said Hartley, “The kids want to be successful. They're just not given the tools to be successful from the people who should be looking out for them.”
Hartley told WPTV their MCHS swimming and diving teams normally use the Kanner Road pool for practices and competition in the fall. Most of its use, though, is from the Martin County Swim Club, which pays rent and has many public school students as members. The pool is normally used by the public in the mornings, afternoons and on weekends, district spokeswoman Jennifer DeShazo said.
One MCHS alumnus said at the March School Board meeting, “I would encourage you to keep the pool – if for no other reason – to keep teaching children to swim,” he said. “We live in an aquatic community, [and] we need children who can swim and not drown. Yes, you have Sailfish Splash as an alternative, but I would say you need both. When they built the pool on the high school grounds, the population was less than 60,000; today, we have well over 160,000 residents in Martin County.”
As the Florida DOH initiative to educate communities says, Water Safety is Everyone's Responsibility. Swimming is fun and good for health. Let’s not wait to find out what we had when it’s gone.
Please sign this petition to tell the School District that we need this community pool and to tell the County Commission that we need more community pools throughout the county.
Express your thoughts to these contacts:
School Board- RobertsCL@martinschools.org; PowersM@martinschools.org; RusselJ@martinschools.org; PritchA@martinschools.org; MoriarB@martinschools.org;
All School Board Members- schoolboardmembers@martinschools.org;
Superintendent- MaineM@martinschools.org;
MCHS Principal & Athletic Director- selvidc@martinschools.org; mobergj@martinschools.org
County Commissioners- comish@martin.fl.us
Thank you.
CHART: SWIMMING POOLS PER 100,000 RESIDENTS BY CITY
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Petition created on September 1, 2024