Spread the information about the Pool Solution. There are many who do not have the correct information

Do not presume that your neighbors and friends have all the information about the Pool Solution.

Tell five people today that it's a permanent steel structure, that it can sustain 130 mph winds and up to 50 inches of snow and that operating costs plummet compared to what exists right now.

Tell them the roof is composed of the same material as used over pools in Michigan that suffer Lake effect snowdumps, over the Denver Airport, and over the New England Patriots training facility.

Tell them its $2.60 per household per year.

Tell them about the 128,000 visits( NOT including the swim team) that it gets per year.
Tell them about the open sides/pavilion experience in Summer that can be opened by town staff, no more need for expensive contractors to come in and disrupt business for weeks, and that the sun worship green areas are preserved. 

 Direct them to friendsofcheshirepool.org to see the virtual tour, the FAQs, the business plan, the TV show and the details of the structure

Tell them that voting against actually means they are endorsing the current situation. The Solution is far more suited to our brutal New England Winters and we are tired of energy hogging, falling bubbles. They need to vote YES for the Solution to the Community Pool.

Last chance to send a letter

Last chance to convince the voters . There is only one week of letters left before we all vote YES on November 5th. If this is the first and only time you write a letter let it be in support of a YES vote.
Our BlogSpot post from last week... contains all the links to submit your letter to the the papers. Send it to them all. Let's finish strong !

http://friendsofcheshirepool.blogspot.com/2013/10/letters-from-supporters-thank-you.html

Letters from Supporters- Thank you !!!!!!

Here are a sample of recent letters to The Cheshire Herald from people who support the pool. They clearly show the positive impact this Community pool has made in our town. We really appreciate these supporters taking the time to make their voices heard. Far too many times we have been drowned out by those who do not know the facts about the pool. Keep on contacting the Cheshire Citizen , The New Haven Register, The Cheshire Herald , Cheshire Patch and The Republican American. The Solution to the Pool makes sense. We have to make sure everyone knows that.

 

 

 

Like myself, this author was using the pool for rehabbing after an accident. It is very important for the citizens of Cheshire to know how many different uses the "Community" Pool serves. It is critical to those of limited mobility, the injured, and those with special needs. This is a COMMUNITY pool !

 

 

 

 

 

Another great letter from the heart The Cheshire Herald Again capturing how the pool impacts us, our kids, our businesses and our community. I love the passion in this letter.

 

 

 

 

With the (United States record holding) Cheshire High School Girls team going to Hamden for practices and meets, the younger Sea Dogs heading to Waterbury and the older ones to Wesleyan (imagine having children from the same family in both pools at the same time) this letter in last week's Cheshire Herald rings very true. I particularly like the ending of it.

It is well worth a read

 

 

 

 

 

The Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions about the Pool.

 

 

 

 

Our fellow Cheshire residents are interested in learning more about the solution. They often ask about the alternatives to the Solution.  

The Pool Evaluation Committee that made the recommendation of the Steel Tension structure considered 11 options in depth during the deliberations for the Solution. Many of the options that they considered and rejected form the basis of the questions that we Friends of Cheshire Pool are most frequently asked.

 

 

Here they are in list form, to help you in your conversations with friends and neighbors.

 

 

Why not just fill in the pool,  it’s been an issue long enough?
* The pool is a valuable community asset. In the past year there have been 128,000 pool visits (excluding any swim teams).
* The pool serves the whole community from toddlers to senior citizens, people swimming for exercise and for physical rehabilitation, the able body and the disabled, provides swimming lessons to hundreds of people a year.
* The pool is a $4 million town asset with continued debt service requirements on $1.5 million in bonds and would not receive the revenue currently provided through user fees.
* To demolish the pool, its deck, remove the equipment, demolish the pool building, fill in the pool and remove all the debris is estimated to cost approximately $1.25 million.
* The education department would have to pay more than $50,000 out of its budget for busing and pool rentals for practices and meets for the High School Boys and Girls Swim teams.

Why not just put the bubble back-up – we have insurance proceeds?
* A more permanent solution is needed to provide a stronger enclosure to eliminate the risk of future storm damage.
* The town has heard many responses for voters asking to fix the problems of the bubble once and for all.
* The permanent enclosure will reduce energy and contractor costs, increase revenues and eliminate down time for the pool (putting up and taking down the bubble) that a bubble cannot provide. All of this will significantly reduce the subsidy to the pool.
* Studies have shown that the past bubbles were available to use only about 70% of the time. A permanent enclosure would bring that up closer to 100%.
 Why not just make it summer only? 
* There would be additional costs to converting a pool which was designed to be used year round to a summer only pool (in order to prevent pipe freezing and winter damage) that would diminish any projected savings from this idea. The pool was built to be year round and enclosed in the winter, as approved by Cheshire residents.
* To get the facility ready to be winterized requires retrofitting the pipes and 44 drains,  and to enclosed in the concrete deck and to the mechanical equipment to be able to be winterize. These one-time costs have been estimated at $130,000. Additionally, a pool cover would be needed, costing approximately $60,000. With this preparation the pool could be winterized in the fall and reopened in the Spring at an annual cost of $20,000-30,000.
* The Education Departments expenses would increase over $50,000 to pay for buses and pool rentals to take Cheshire High School Boys and Girls teams to practice and meets at other pools.
* There would be a significant loss of revenue from pool users (season passes, swim team rentals, income from lessons, parties, events, and hosting meets).
* Many nearby communities with large summer only pools (e.g. Canton Municipal Pool & Brookfield YMCA Pool) are making plans to go from summer only to year round facilities because they have found it not practical or financially sensible to have a pool open only from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Town Subsidy is too large!
* All town services: youth center, senior center, library, park and rec, arts place, linear trail etc. receive town subsidy.  All these resources are 100% taxpayer funded not the pool. The pool is the only town resource that generates significant revenue.
* The pool subsidy is about $350,000 for the past year. This accounts for only about .3% of the entire town operating budget.
* Unlike other town facilities/Services the Pool users pay most of the expenses for the pool through user fees.
* The pool revenue was on track to be a record over $600,000 before the bubble collapse.
* With the new proposed enclosure there will be significant energy savings (insulation and no air blowers) and lower contractor costs (not putting up and taking down the bubble.
* This will result in an expected subsidy of less than $200,000.
What is the difference between a “tension membrane” and a bubble?
* The steel tension structure has a permanent steel frame with an incredibly strong Teflon coated fabric membrane.  Unlike the bubble, it does not require any “air support” or “blower” to keep it up.
* A steel tension membrane structure is much sturdier and reliable than a bubble.  It is designed to shed snow and resist wind much better than a bubble design.
* The steel tension membrane structure will allow the facility to remain open 100% of the year.  Unlike the bubble, it will not require the pool to close for seasonal transitions and maintenance.
* The steel tension structure has lower life cycle costs compared to a modified bubble or a polycarbonate structure.
* The steel tension structure has lower short term and long term operating costs compared to a bubble.
* A steel tension structure offers a significant improvement in energy conservation compared with the previous air supported bubble.
Are there other steel tension structures out there?  Why didn’t we buy one years ago?
* Steel tension membrane structures are widely used for Olympic size swimming pools
* General experience has been very positive
* These structures were not yet available at the time that the original bubble design was selected.
* The steel tension structure has proven reliability.  The Denver airport has a steel tension membrane roof (1995) .  The New England Patriots training facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts also is a steel tension membrane structure.  The Pool Evaluation Committee visited the New England Patriots facility as part of its research.

Will there still be an outdoor “feel” in the summer?
* The Steel tension structure will have an open feel in the summer.
* The sides can be opened in the summer months giving the pool an open air feel.
* This pavilion feel will allow shading at the pool and easy access to the outside sun.
* With additional attention to prevention of skin cancer, many pool users actually welcome the sun protection afforded by the covering
Will the new structure stand up to winter storms?
* Yes!
* The structure will be built to withstand a snow load of up to 50 lbs per square foot. (well more than 5 feet of snow and ice). Cheshire, for its buildings, normally uses a standard of 30 lbs per square foot.
* The structure will also be able to withstand wind speeds up to 130 mph. A similar structure on the gulf coast, covering a same size pool was able to withstand hurricane Katrina without damage.

Were other options discussed?
Yes.  The Cheshire Community Pool Evaluation Committee met for several intense months over the Spring and summer.  This group, chaired by John Purtill and Kevin Wetmore investigated all possibilities.  The full report has been available on the Town web site. This group gave report to the Town Council , who selected the steel tension membrane option to go forward to the town referendum.  Other options including replacing the bubble, building the more expensive polycarbonate structure voted down by taxpayers in 2010, or building an alternative pool behind CHS were all priced out and compared.  The steel tension membrane came out to be the best and most practical solution to our specific needs—affordable, durable, attractive, and sustainable 
Will the new permanent structure be more or less energy efficient than the bubble?
More.  Operating costs and energy costs are projected to DECREASE because of significantly higher “R” value for the structure and lack of need  to use an air blower for the bubble .  Furthermore, as the pool would not be required to close for seasonal transitions, revenue should also increase.
Who uses the pool
* Many seniors and other adults who swim for exercise
* Adults who take fitness classes
* children who take swimming lessons
* Families and individuals who use the pool for relaxation and recreation
* disabled children and adults who are can be more mobile in the water than on dryland
* those taking  scuba lessons, life guarding lessons and water rescue courses
* CHS Swim and Dive Teams
* Water polo, synchronized swimming, and diving lessons
* Cheshire Sea Dog Swim Team

I read in the paper that “no one ever uses the pool” and “it is a financial disaster”.  Is that true?
* Absolutely not!  The pool is a very well used community resource .In the past year there were 128,000 user days of activity at the pool. Also, in the past fiscal year the pool was on pace to bring in $600,000 in revenue.  Part of the apparent cost of the pool relative to other town services has to do with the accounting for the pool operating costs.  Even so, the pool has accounted for only 0.3% of the towns operating budget--$350,000 last year.  The pool is actually one of the FEW town resources that offsets the majority of its cost with generated revenue.  A trip to the pool at almost any time will show many users present.
* The Pool is the only service/facility in town that has the potential to serve all residents, from toddlers to senior citizens, to those with handicaps’ and those seeking physical fitness and those needing physical therapy.

Why should I pay for something I don’t use?
* None of us use all the services in town. We pay for them because they make up the quality of life which adds value to our lives, makes Cheshire a great place to live and add value to our homes.
* You may not have used all the roads in Cheshire but we all pay to keep them in shape and for snow plowing. You may not have use the police and fire departments this year but you paid for them. You may not have used the Library, Linear Trail, Senior Center, Youth Center, Arts Place, Yellow House or any of the multiple ball fields or had someone in the school system - but paid for them. Others helped pay for the things that you used and they have not. All of these add to the quality of life and make Cheshire a great place to live.
* The expected cost of the pool is about $2.60 a year for the average home in Cheshire. This is because the cost of repaying the bonds and interest is significantly offset by energy savings, contractor cost (no putting up and taking down the bubble), lower maintenance costs and increased revenue . Additionally, the construction cost is spread, by bonding over 20 years and spread over the $2.2 billion property assessment base in Cheshire.
* This $2.60 per average household does not reflect a tax increase, it only means that $2.60 of the taxes you pay goes toward the cost of the structure.
* The pool is the only town facility that significantly covers most of the cost of the facilities through user fees and rental fees. These fees range from a daily pass for an adult of $7.00 to an adult yearly pass of $200. For a family the seasonal pass costs $245 or $360 for an annual pass.
* The pool adds value to the town and to your home.  Communities with multiple exercise facilities are healthier communities


My neighbors tell me that the pool has been a problem for years!  Why not give up?
* The Pool Complex had a rough start in being constructed and has had a series of problems.
* The complex consists of the pool itself, the mechanicals, the pool concrete deck, the pool building and the pool bubble.
 -   There has not been a problem with the Pool itself since it opened in 2003.
  -   There has not been a problem with the mechanicals or the pool’s
         concrete deck since it opened in 2003.
* There have been  problems with the pool building caused by the negative
    pressure from the air pressure needed to keep the bubble inflated.
    and problems with the bubble’s stability.
* It makes sense, therefore, to support the new structure that will eliminate the need for air pressure –thus to preserve the building. Being made of steel supports will eliminate the causes of the bubble collapses.

Frequently Asked Questions

This weekend at several sporting events we gave out our glossy flyers and copies of frequently asked questions that we encounter regarding the pool. Here is the link to those FAQs. It's useful to have this information for when you are speaking with your neighbors and friends regarding the pool.


http://www.friendsofcheshirepool.org/pool-faqs-1.html

This is what a "Community" Pool is all about

This picture from the Cheshire Herald shows us exactly why we are so passionate about preserving our Community Pool.

from the Herald..... "CHS Girls Swim/Dive team took time out of their busy summer to come to Cheshire Parks and Rec's Therapeutic Camp for special needs kids. They impressed the campers with their flip turns, stoke demonstrations, and mini races. They encouraged all the participants to try the sport they love."
This is why the Friends ask you to Vote Yes for the Solution to the Pool in November's Referendum.

Actual link below.

Post by The Cheshire Herald.

Write to the Editor

It's Monday. Please take a moment to write to the editors of our local papers to let them know how important the pool is to you. Doing so this week is particularly important as we are very close to the budget vote date. Lots of good information came out of the Town Council meeting

 We are particularly excited by the enclosure's capacity to bear 50" of snow and sustain 130 mph winds, and its capacity to be insulated to the level that you insulate your attic. That will great reduce operating costs.

 We were happy to hear that the pool generates 600K in revenue and was on an upward trajectory of revenue before the blizzard.

 We were mesmerized by the high cost of making it a summer only pool, the fact that the pool was never built to be open in winter e.g. pipes are not below the freezing lev...el, the need for 300K minimum to hard-winterize it, 60K for covers etc. and then an annual 50K to do so each year, the added cost of almost 70k for the high school kids to practice elsewhere, the reduction of the 600K revenue by 75% due to 9 month closure, the fast degradation of an outdoor pool, and the need for security to try to avoid the very costly vandalism of an outdoor pool. 

 We were thrilled to hear that the capacity to have the sides open will retain the outdoor feel in the summer and allow for picnic areas and greens.

 We were also very happy to hear that similar structures up since 2003/4 over large pools like our own had survived Hurricane Katrina in the South and Lake Michigan snows in the North.

Please show your support for the pool by writing to the following media entities

http://www.cheshirecitizen.com/opinion/letters/
https://www.cheshireherald.com/extras/dd-formmailer/letter_form.php
and Cheshire Patch - kathleen.ramunni@patch.com
http://www.rep-am.com/shared-content/perform/?domain_name=rep-am.com&form_template=letters
http://www.nhregister.com/contact/

Support the Pool - Free Zumba on Saturday- 8AM

Come over to the pool at 8am. All you need is your bathing suit ! It's a free demo of the ultimate feel-good exercise AquaZumba. The first thing you notice about AquaZumba is that everyone has a broad grin on their face doing it, as do the spectators. It's a total blast.
This is a free session. If you ever wondered if you would enjoy it, come over and try the free class !!!!

The Cheshire Herald coverage

Thank you to Mike Torelli and Greg Lederer for continuing to cover the pool decision so comprehensively in the Cheshire Herald. The pool article is on the front page and continues in the body of the newspaper. Many Friends are mentioned and quoted. It is great to have so many voices represented.

Please thank the Herald for their continued coverage and share how much the pool means to you and to the town https://www.cheshireherald.com/extras/dd-formmailer/letter_form.php