Let them know you're coming tomorrow, Thursday at 7.30

Please share -
Here are the email addresses of the Town Council members. Let them know that you are going to the meeting tomorrow Thursday at 7.30 pm and that you support a year-round pool.
pafh@aol.com,  michaele584@aol.com, sspn13@cox.net, dsschrumm@cox.net, tomruocco@snet.net, aafalvey@cox.net, petert111@cox.net, jrs7@att.net, tslocum@snet.net

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 !!!!)

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

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.

How does the pool benefit you ????

 The greatest thing about our pool is that it serves so many in our community in so many ways. In chatting with several Friends this weekend at the bake sale we realized that the pool benefits us in so many different ways -

•  a mother rehabbing from a knee injury,
• a child with asthma building up stamina,
• a place for a family to hang out together,
• a man working on getting back into shape after too much time in an office chair,
•  a stroke victim who loves the warm water and the freedom of movement in the water, grandparents bonding with kids, 
• a teenager with a laser focus on a goal of college swimming.
• all ages learning how to swim,
• Zumba !!!!
• and many, many more......

So many stories.

What is your story? How does the pool benefit you and your family?

 

Visit  Our Facebook page or,

 

Our website Friends of Cheshire pool

 

Share your stories

Important Dates, Town Hall meetings

 SAVE THE DATES

Here are the two critical dates for all of us Friends of Cheshire Pool to show our support of a viable, year-round structure .

Town Hall meetings.
June 27, 2013 - Pool Evaluation Committee - Public Information Session
July 23, 2013 - Town Council Meeting - Pool decision

... We need to be a visible, vocal majority.

We will post reminders as we near the dates but pencil this in for now. We are looking forward to meeting you all in person.

Bake Sale at Bagelicious 8th and 9th June.

Please Share- Bake Sale

Friends of Cheshire Pool is running a Bake Sale this Saturday 8th, and Sunday the 9th outside Bagelicious.

In the past the anti-pool people have been extremely  vocal.  In order to get the true facts about the pool out we will need to make posters, run informational ads, wear tshirts and use all the media tools we possibly can. Our voices must be heard.

A small donation for a brownie or a large donation for a favorite bread will help us raise funds to spread the word. Email friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com if you'd like to donate baked goods.

We have some very accomplished bakers in this group. Drop by to chat with them. Buy a delicious cookie, and then go to the pool to burn off the caloriesJ

Thank you again for supporting Friends of Cheshire Pool.

Rehab augmentation for our community.

 

 

My son's Cheshire lacrosse coach Mike Weed recently had a stroke at the frighteningly young age of 37. He is making slow but steady progress. He begins aqua therapy this week at his rehab facility..

It is important to realize that our pool... offers a critical resource to those rehabbing from strokes and injuries. It is accessible for those with physical challenges. It has a chair lift and is fully accessible. When insurance stops paying for physical therapy a person may continue their progress by using our pool. We are incredibly fortunate to have that option. It's a godsend to many.

Thank you for supporting out Community effort. Please support the Weed family too on Father's Day Weekend. They are a wonderful Cheshire family who have given a lot to our town. https://www.facebook.com/events/602608769764029

Compelling facts about the Community Pool

The Cheshire Community Pool is an asset to the community.

  Here are some compelling facts:

·         Since installing the new bubble the pool was more popular than ever.  Ms. Adams, at the May 9th meeting stated that there was a 45% increase in visitors to the Community Pool after the new bubble was installed last year.

·         This past fiscal year the pool was on pace to bring in a record $600,000 in revenue. 

·         Pool revenue has grown consistently by 5% a year

·         Without a town pool, the town will spend $69,000 dollars approx. to transport the high school teams and rent another facility for their swim season should there be no pool available.

·         Closing the pool would cost between $1.25million and $1.5 million dollars and the town will be left with a further $1.5 million in bonds.

·         Cheshire Community Pool hosts numerous swim meets including State Championship meets.People come from all over the state to attend these meets.

·         The meets draw an large amount of people bringing a huge, captive, spending audience from all corners of the state benefiting businesses on Main Street.

·         The Cheshire pool is an important asset that regularly benefits the local economy.

OPTION 1 EXAMINED.

Bursting bubbles- understanding the past to make better decisions in the future.

The Cheshire Pool Evaluation Committee is tasked with examining all options with regard to the pool. Some may be less popular than others but ALL possibilities, in the interest of fairness, have to be examined. That includes the reinstalling an air supported bubble. Here is a snapshot of examining this option.

Sheila Adams, Aquatic Director, brought a wealth of information and experience to the meeting of 5.2.2013. Ms. Adams provided an overview of its recent history, structure and performance and gave the public a good starting point on which to analyze solutions.

This January during the record-setting blizzard 6 bubbles came down in Connecticut. Cheshire's bubble was the only one totaled. All the others are back up and operational. Cheshire's is not the biggest bubble, nor is it the only pool facility that was impacted by this incredible storm.  It appears that it's the bubble’s inner support structure that was at fault. The giant stanchions, that are unique to the Cheshire pool punctured the bubble rendering it beyond repair.

 Cheshire, by virtue of its inner support structure,  cannot drop the bubble in the face of a storm.  It was totaled as soon as it came down. "The biggest issue is once the dome comes down the building official deems the building to be condemned. No one can go out on deck; the support structure cannot be removed and the bubble must be cut down". "Ms. Adams explained that if we did not have the current interior support structure, the bubble could have been repaired- both times." (minutes 5.2.13). Two of the six collapsed bubbles in the state were taken down intentionally (Northford and Winsted). Cheshire cannot do this because of the unique support structure inside the building.

The committee examined the support structures of Wilton, Madison, Winsted, Northford and Tolland. Those without the large wire stanchions that are at the Cheshire Community Pool, did well. Building codes dictated the engineering design of the Cheshire pool. Danbury has a larger bubble without stanchions. It's not our size that's the issue. It's that we did not have an exemption to the code.

Ms. Adams consulted the manufacturer of the bubble during the storm and was told that without the large support columns they would have advised the staff at CCP to drop the bubble to the ground thus avoiding the collapse. Sheila also noted that the bubble made it through the hurricane.

After this most recent failure of the bubble Ms. Adams sought a variance from the code requirements to prevent this situation in the future.  On May  9 "Sheila Adams noted that a modification was received from the State for the approval to remove the interior support structure from the bubble. By allowing this modification the bubble will have to have a redundant backup blower to back up the main blower and must keep the bubble at least 7 feet off the pool surface for 20 minutes per the building code. A generator would be required for the pool blower only".

Friends of Cheshire Pool supports a VIABLE year-round solution. We eagerly look to examine the other options being pondered. Again we reiterate that the common consensus in our town is that the pool is a good thing. The Evaluation Committee must put forth a viable option for Cheshire's Community Pool.