Friday, July 19, 2013

7/23 Town Council Meeting Cancelled

The Town Council cancelled the meeting on July 23, 2013 where it was anticipated that they would vote on the recommendation from the Pool Committee. 

 

The Town Council has manipulated how the pool expenditure will be voted on by the Council. 

 

The new schedule is for the Pool evaluation committee to make a recommendation to the Town Capital Budget Committee on August 15th - there will NOT be public participation at this meeting. Even though there is not public participation people should still try to attend this meeting.  We understand that many people are on vacation in August but if you are in Town please plan to attend this meeting.

 

 Then on August 20th the Town Council will vote on the capital budget that will presumably include the recommendation from the Pool Evaluation Committee.  There WILL be public participation at this meeting.  The public will be invited to speak, however, the pool will not be the only capital project being discussed.  Again understanding that this is a vacation time of year, if you are in town you should plan to go to this meeting and speak.

 

The Pool Evaluation Committee continues to work toward a recommendation to the Town Council and will have a decision in the very near future leading up to the meeting on August 15th.

 

This is obviously a disappointing turn of events BUT we will not be deterred.   “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins- not through strength but by perseverance.”
~H. Jackson Brown~
Now more than ever we need to make our voices heard.  We need to write to the local papers, the Cheshire Herald, Record Journal, Cheshire Citizen, Cheshire Patch and let them know that we demand that the Town Council vote on the recommendation to be put forth by the Pool Committee.  The Pool must be on the ballot for referendum in November. 
We must also continue to e-mail and call Town Councilors - especially Tim Slocum - and let him and the Town Council know that they should let the voters decide in November on the future enclosure for the Pool. (all contact information for Town Council members is on the website)
We will continue to move forward and will not stop until the pool is a permanent year round facility for this Town.

“All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.”
- Orison Swett Marden
The Town Council can keep throwing up roadblocks but we will go through them.
Make your voices heard!!

Thank you,
Friends of Cheshire Pool

Monday, July 15, 2013

USA Olympians support our pool


 

When as many as eleven Olympic medalists and team members of the United States Olympic team retweet support for the Cheshire Community Pool you truly realize the caliber and national reach of our local swim teams. The picture that went viral in the swim world this week shows members of the local swim team who showed up at the Pool Evaluation Committee’s Public Information Session on June 27, 2013 standing outside Town Hall with signs of support.

With homemade signs and a poignant call for help intended to garner more support for our community pool, the kids posed for a picture that was tweeted out to the United States Olympic Team.  Olympians such as two time gold medalist Ricky Berens , six time Olympic medalists Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt retweeted a message from @FriendsofCCP getting the word out about our pool to even more people.

The Cheshire Community Pool has served as the home to two nationally recognized swim teams the Cheshire High School girls swim team and Cheshire YMCA Sea dogs.  These teams have brought pride to our community and help make Cheshire one of the best places to live in America.

The superstars of swimming who highlighted the message of support were Rebecca Soni -a 6 time Olympic medalist and holder of several world records, Ricky Berens who holds 2 gold medals and several world records, Allison Schmitt - 6 time Olympic medalist including 3 golds, Gold Medalist Tyler McGill, Breakout star Lia Neal bronze in 2012, Jessica Hardy- gold and bronze Olympic medalist and world record holder,  Kate Zeigler-world record holder,  Chloe Sutton -Olympian in both open water and pool events,  and Alyssa Anderson, , Camille Adams, Clark Burkle -all Olympic team members and rising stars. The picture and support message was retweeted by numerous followers of the Olympians including @phelpssquad and several high-ranking college swim coaches.

A year round community pool offers many benefits.  Not only is it home to these swim teams but it serves the entire community seniors and children alike.  Residents of all ages use and enjoy the pool all year round. This past year the pool was more popular than ever with over 128,000 people using the Pool.

For more information:


Follow us on Twitter: @FriendsofCCP



 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Asking for help

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the public information session on June 27th a success.  I think we all got a glimpse of what we are up against. To get facts out to all the public will take a huge effort but we are up to the challenge.

Now it is necessary to raise funds to wage an effective large scale campaign for a year round pool.  We are asking that you please make a donation so that we can share the facts with more members of our community.   Funds raised will be used to purchase advertisements and signs, to produce information brochures, and to otherwise inform the public and obtain support for the pool. Any amount will help.

For this to be a successful campaign, it is critical that we have your financial support.

Please donate today.  Send personal checks* made payable to Friends of Cheshire Pool to: P.O. Box 238, Cheshire, CT 06410 or by visiting www.Friendsofcheshirepool.org and clicking on the Donate tab.

Thank you for your support,

Friends of Cheshire Pool

 

Note:  On July 23, 2013 the Pool Evaluation Committee will make its recommendation to the Town Council.   We need to secure the vote from the Town Council to take the recommended structure option to referendum in November.   Please mark your calendars and attend. 

 

* State law prohibits contributions from business entities.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Friday, June 21, 2013

Town Hall, Pool Information Session Thursday June 27th 7.30

3 options to be discussed at Thursday's meeting. The article below gives an overview of each of these options. Each and every one of us will need to attend the Information Session on Thursday evening at Town Hall. Bring your neighbors. Car pool. Ask your questions. Wear an item of swim apparel (like goggles) Support a year round, viable solution.

http://cheshire.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/committee-ready-to-present-pool-alternatives?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001&evar4=picks-1-post


Remember - Thursday, June 27th at 7.30. Town Hall. Wear something pool related to show your support (goggles, swim shirt, go nuts !!!!)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Give them a call

It's almost 1pm. Do you know where your Town Council members are? Give them a call and tell them why the pool is important to you .

Patti Flynn-Harris
360 Carlton Dr.
272-1392
pafh@aol.com



Michael Ecke

36 Williamsburg
272-1351
michaele584@aol.com

Sylvia Nichols
100 Barytes Dr.
272-1286
sspn13@cox.net


James Sima
180 Birch Dr.
271-0467
jrs7@att.net


Timothy Slocum*
1285 Lilac Ct.
272-0652
tslocum@snet.net


David Schrumm
369 Sir Walter Dr.
272-2689
dsschrumm@cox.net


Thomas Ruocco
6 North Pond
272-8135
tomruocco@snet.net


Andrew Falvey
379 Peck La.
272-8305
aafalvey@cox.net


Peter Talbot
1271 Lilac Ct.
439-3833
petert111@cox.net

Monday, June 17, 2013

Town of Cheshire Pool Evalution Committee Public Information session. Call and email your Town Council members.

The bubble collapse this past winter at the Cheshire Community Pool was very disappointing to all those who use and enjoy the pool all year round.  This unfortunate event obviously raises concerns about the long term future of the pool.  We, as a community, are being called to task and we, as the Friends of Cheshire Pool, will rise to the occasion to ensure that our pool remain a community resource.  We will certainly face challenges moving forward.  But let there be no doubt that we will meet these challenges because we all share a vision of a pool that is a permanent fixture in this community.

Maybe it is fitting that the winter storm that brought down our home pool was named NEMO.  After all Nemo is the name of the children’s movie where the father, Marlin, is totally committed to swimming as far and as long as possible to bring his son home.  We will have to show that same endurance to make our voices heard and to let the town council and the community know that the pool deserves a permanent solution.  In this vein, the loss of the bubble gives us an opportunity to achieve a solution that will be more impressive and reliable, as well as sustainable for the future of our town.

We will wage a positive campaign to make sure Cheshire is informed about all of the great qualities that a year round pool brings to our community.  Together we can make this happen.

The Town of Cheshire Pool Evaluation Committee is planning to have a public information meeting on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at Town Hall.  This meeting is intended to inform the public about the remaining three options-- a new modified bubble; a steel tension membrane structure; and an open/air (greenhouse) type structure.  After this public information session, the Pool Evaluation Committee will then decide on the final recommendation it will make to the Town Council.  The Town Council will meet on July 23, 2013 for a vote on whether that option will be the subject of a referendum to be on the ballot in the November election.

Leading up to these meetings it is imperative that everyone call and email all members of the Town Council to make sure they understand that a majority of the town supports a year round solution for the pool. 

Here are addresses, phone numbers and emails for the Town Council members:

Patti Flynn-Harris 360 Carlton Dr.
 
272-1392 pafh@aol.com    
Michael Ecke


Sylvia Nichols
36 Williamsburg 272-1351 michaele584@aol.com  

100 Barytes Dr.
 
272-1286 sspn13@cox.net  
James Sima 180 Birch Dr. 271-0467 jrs7@att.net
 
 
Timothy Slocum* 1285 Lilac Ct. 272-0652 tslocum@snet.net  
David Schrumm 369 Sir Walter Dr. 272-2689 dsschrumm@cox.net  
Thomas Ruocco 6 North Pond 272-8135 tomruocco@snet.net  
Andrew Falvey 379 Peck La. 272-8305 aafalvey@cox.net  
Peter Talbot 1271 Lilac Ct. 439-3833 petert111@cox.net  




It is also incredibly important that we all attend the public information session on June 27, 2013 and the Town Council meeting on July 23, 2013.  Please mark these dates on your calendars.  We want to make sure that the Town Council understands how important this is to the community by having a very large crowd in attendance at these meetings.

We are working and will continue to work very hard to get the word out and inform the public.  Please go to www.friendsofcheshirepool.org and Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FriendsOfCheshirePool to stay updated on important meetings, ways to get involved and fundraising.  If you have any questions you can always email  us at friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com.

We believe that we there will be a positive outcome in November if we all come together now.