FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - The plan by the North Schuylkill School District to shut down the high school swimming pool is being opposed by some district residents who are getting support through a petition to save the pool.
With reduced revenue coming from state and federal sources, North Schuylkill and other school districts have struggled to find ways to balance budgets for the 2012-13 school year, which in many cases included cutting some sports programs.
And while North Schuylkill was able to save the junior high school sports programs, the tentative operating budget approved on May 16 included the closing of the swimming pool, effective July 31.
The petition drive is being done online at www.change.org/petitions/savenspool. The site also has some background information on the pool.
The school board will hold committee meetings at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the high school, either in the board room or cafeteria, and pool supporters hope to address board members about the issue and get them to change their mind and keep the pool open.
Clarissa Geary, Ringtown, is the president of the North Schuylkill Youth Swim Team Booster Association. She said the booster organization is receiving support from many others in the district, along with swimmers from other school districts who use the pool - including Shenandoah Valley, Tri-Valley and Nativity BVM - who also participate with North Schuylkill's team.
Geary said the pool is staying open until July 31 until the swimming season ends for the team.
"... we're encouraging everyone who is interested in the community and in the school to attend this meeting," said Geary.
Geary is hoping for a good turnout to show that there are many people interested in the issue.
"It (pool) has always been on the chopping block, and we knew it would inevitably come down to this," said Geary. "None of the other sports programs were cut."
Geary said it is not just a matter of the pool closing affecting the swim team, but that it reaches out into the local communities.
"It's not just a swim team kind of issue. The community uses that pool. There are birthday parties there all the time. There are water aerobics in the evenings on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 that anyone in the community can come in and use the facility," she said.
"This affects Schuylkill County. It affects the county swimming program," she continued. "Other schools come here to swim meets. Blue Mountain, Schuylkill Haven, Tamaqua, Mount Carmel, Shamokin, all the surrounding schools we swim against and compete with. If we don't have a pool, we don't know if the team will survive. We won't have anywhere to practice. And the teams in the other school districts will have one less team to swim against.
"This is a big thing and it is going to affect the whole community a little more than just the high school swim team," she said. "There are swim lessons going on right now at the pool for the smaller children who are just starting out with basic strokes and learning to be in the water."
She added that swimming is one of the few sports that can support athletes with special needs.
"It's disheartening," Geary said. "We have some offers for the school board to consider that will help offset the costs of operating the pool. We have asked concrete numbers budgetwise what is spent on certain things. We want to see what the income is from all the parties. We're trying to put some things together and offer whatever we can to help keep that pool open for the school and the community." Saving the pool
The "Save the NS Pool" initiative can be reached through Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SaveNSPool
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/savenspool#Save NSPool
To enter your name on the petition to support the pool, go to www.change.org/petitions/savenspool