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.

Volunteers

Some of the crew here today at Stop and Shop. 

They have free jar openers:) 

Our weekend work

We had lots of help at Everybody's and Stop and Shop yesterday. Today is Stop and Shop only, and of course, door to door.
The weather has been marvelous for us, and we met some great people. We are all heading out there today again.
Thanks to all the people who beeped their car horns at us
and waved encouragingly as we roamed the neighborhoods on foot. It's a huge boost to see the thumbs up and smiling faces.

Keep working hard everyone. We are making a lot of progress !!!!!! Thank you all for everything you are doing !!!

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

Politics - the shocking lack of knowledge.

Politics- Any talk of a seasonal /Summer only pool shows a remarkable lack of knowledge about our Community Pool. It is shocking that this is even being talked about.

As we all know the pool was designed to be indoors for 3 seasons, the pipes are not below freezing level and are in the concrete of the deck close to the pool bed. Blasting down to lower them is a costly and huge undertaking, and could damage the pool itself. A full winterization of the pool is a far more expensive endeavor than people realize. As well as trying to deal with the pipes there are 44 drains too that would have to be retrofitted. In addition the" Great Wall" is not designed to be open to the elements and has been for 2 winters already. Not to mention the revenue that is generated during the 9 months is completely lost, as is the business that impacts Main Street through swim families buying food, groceries, gas etc during their visits. Buttoning down for winter would have to be done each year at a significant cost. Additionally the education budget become directly impacted as the teams are bussed to practices and have to pay for costly pool practice time and meet hosting. Summer only pools require more maintenance, and decline and decay far quicker. Summer only is not a fiscally prudent option for the Town of Cheshire by any stretch of the imagination. It is a very bad decision. We've had enough of those already on this pool.

Every candidate with a rational mind should support the Pool Solution November 5th. It is a year round, viable, permanent solution for the town. Vote YES.

Tuesday, Meet the Candidates and a Duel in the Pool

Two things going on tonight, Tuesday.

Meet the Candidates at Town Hall, from 6pm - 9pm. This is hosted by the League of Women Voters. It's a chance to hear what the candidates stand for, how well informed they are, and decide how well you think they would represent you on Town Council. It will be moderated , but you can submit questions on paper to the moderator. Let's see what they are made of.

The second event is very exciting. Undefeated Cheshire High meets undefeated Amity for a Duel in the Pool that will bring out the champions tonight ! 7 pm in Hamden Hall Aquatic Center (Skiff Street). All of us recreational, athletic, rehabbing, and just plain splashers are always inspired by the Cheshire Girls team. It's been a disjointed training year for them but they haven't lost yet.
A great night of competition is in store. It's senior night there too.

They are one part of the "community" of pool users. They are some of our town's finest ambassadors. Hop down to Hamden and cheer them on.

All the information about the Pool Solution in one place

Please visit our website Friends of Cheshire Pool to find everything you need to know about the pool solution.

• A detailed description, complete with pictures, of the Steel Tension structure
• The Virtual Tour of the proposed structure.  3d tour
• There is a page with all the Frequently Asked Questions
• A way to donate to us to help us pay for advertising and flyers
• A link to the business plan that was put together by the Pool Evaluation Committee and is on the town website.

Thank you for your support of the Solution to the Pool. Vote YES on November 5th !

TV Show airs again Saturday

Our TV show airs again on Saturday at 6pm on Cox Cable, Public Access TV Channel 15 . If you or your neighbors have any questions about the pool solution this is a good show to watch.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Vote YES, new video

This video was filmed in the last weeks of our pool being open. As you can see, so many use this pool- all ages, all abilities. Enjoy.

The Pool Solution can sustain up to 50 inches of snow and 130 mph winds. Don't let another bubble go up on this pool.
We need a sturdy, robust, steel structure for New England winters, and the pavilion-like structure lets us have a summer experience too.
Vote YES to the Pool Solution.
It makes sense.

Voter Registration information, Extended Hours and Absentee Ballots- Everything you need to vote on November 5th

Extended hours, mail in forms for registration and absentee ballots.

Saturday Voter Registration Session  As required by Sec. 9-16 of the State Election Laws, on Saturday, October 19, 2013, the Registrar of Voters’ office, 84 South Main Street, will be open for voter registration from 10am to 2pm.
Registrars’ office will be open late for voter registration.    
As required by Sec. 9-16 of the State Election Laws, on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, the Registrar of Voters’ office, 84 South Main Street, will be open for voter registration until 8pm.  If you would prefer to register by mail, print out this form and mail it in to the address listed. http://www.cheshirect.org/media/8332/voter%20registration%20form.pdf
If you need an absentee ballot, print off and fill this form and mail it in to the address listed.  
http://www.ct.gov/sots/LIB/sots/ElectionServices/ElectForms/electforms/aabeng.pdf

 

Act today to be able to vote YES on November 5th.

Cheshire helps Cheshire . A different cause - Anthony Morin- fundraiser at Bagelicious, Columbus Day

Help a Cheshire Family - On Monday, Columbus Day, from 5-7 pm there is a fundraiser for Anthony Morin, who has suffered a terrible brain injury from a random bike fall. Dinner, a silent auction and raffles will all take place at Bagelicious Bagels on 945 South Main Street. It's $5 for kids and $10 for adults. Please consider the huge medical bills that this family have accumulated and will face in the future. Cheshire helps Cheshire. Please help this family

Please share the Public Access Show that we recorded

Please share with your friends and neighbors. This program addresses many of the questions with regard to the pool solution, shows the virtual tour and includes a neat video of users enjoying the last weeks of the pool before its closure yesterday.

Special thanks to all those who helped make this possible. So many volunteers have stepped up to help in this campaign. It's very heartening.

Vote YES !

Cox Channel 15, Saturday 12th at 6pm. Tune in to hear about the Pool Solution.

Post by Friends of Cheshire Pool.


For the next 3 Saturdays you will have the opportunity to see the TV debut of the Friends of Cheshire Pool. We so lucky to have as guests the co-chairs of the Pool Evaluation Committee who, as part of a 15 person team, and with the input of a pool consultant, determined that the permanent solution was the best option for our New England pool. Mr. Kevin Wetmore and Mr. John Purtill took time to describe the assessments, considerations, deliberations and finally the details of the steel tensions  structure itself.

It was a very informative evening.
The program will air on Saturday 12th, 19th and 26th.
Tune in, and have your neighbors join you.


 

Virtual Tour of the Pool Solution

For our new Friends, here is a Virtual Tour of the Pool Solution

Last chance to try Aqua Zumba. This Saturday is the last dance before the pool closes for the winter

Good news for all us of limited mobility who use the pool for our exercise, and for those of us who love to laugh throughout a workout.

Saturday morning, weather permitting,  we "will have one last Aqua Zumba class before the Cheshire pool closes for the winter. It will be at 9:00 AM and will be the single class price of $8.00!

Heat up the pool for the last day!

Remember anyone can do it, just add water and SHAKE "

What did you do during last night's monsoon? Here's what the little kids did.

The u12 @SeaDogSwimClub practicing tonight in miserable conditions.

They swam until they couldn't see the bottom.

 

 Vote YES! For the Pool Solution Nov 5th

 

 

Weekend of Oct 5th and 6th, Volunteer work

31 Days left in the campaign. Not much time left !

We have a couple of campaign events that we need assistance with. This weekend-would you be available to hand out flyers at the sports fields for one hour? Very easy job. We've done it a few weeks in a row and it's been very positive. Friends will be meeting at 10am in the pool parking lot at Bartlem. Email us to let us know if you can join us - friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com


10/6 - This weekend we will be campaigning at the football game on Sunday morning We need some help for a couple of hours. Please let us know if you can. It's basically handing out flyers and explaining the structure.

  Finally, we would like to start the door to door campaign a little sooner than indicated on our planning calendar. We have a lot of ground to cover and we want to reach as many people as possible It would be great if people could start covering a couple of streets when they can. Cheshire has 475 streets so we need a lot of people. Even if you can do a small block let us know.

We will give you the flyers and the FAQ sheet that has all the answers. Start around your neighborhood and branch out. Once people hear details of the solution they are very supportive. They are weary of the bubble collapses, but unaware of the solution details. This job is critical to our success in November.

 Email friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com to let us know what you can do. Thank you for another good week of work.
31 days only to get to speak to everyone. Let's get going!

Cheshire Citizen Editorial Column

Post by Friends of Cheshire Pool.

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.

Do you have Audio Visual experience? Update on lawn signs.

Two things today Friends-  First , we need audio visual types for October 8th to help us with a public access TV endeavor. Can you help? Maybe you have A/V experience from high school or work, even a little experience helps. Email friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com.

Second, Email your pictures of your lawn signs . I see a lot on Rte 10!!!!  friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com. Don't forget to ask any businesses you frequent if you can put a sign in front of their building. We will get one to you.
Our sign push last night was very successful. Here's a picture of two houses side by side sporting our signs. 2 houses down from these was another. It was a great morning for us Friends seeing the support of our neighbors and fellow Cheshire residents.

Here's a post on Facebook from last night's distribution. Quite the caravan of vehicles turned up to get their signs. The energy was tremendous!

Post by Friends of Cheshire Pool.

Vote YES Lawn signs

We will be distributing lawns signs on Wednesday October 2nd at 6:00pm at the Cheshire Community Pool parking lot. We have fantastic lawns signs that urge people to "Vote Yes for the Pool Solution". We want to see a sea of lawn signs in Cheshire on Thursday morning. So come to the pool and pick one up. We are asking people to make a suggested donation of $20 for the sign. This is a suggested d...onation, No one will be denied a lawn sign. We want as many people who want one to have one. We are hoping to raise additional funds to purchase advertisements and more signs.

If you are unable to make it to the pool please email us and we will make arrangements to get you a sign.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you tonight, Wednesday at 6pm.

Friends of Cheshire Pool

 

 

Location, Location, Location !

If you work in a business that has a front desk, cash register or waiting room can you put some flyers there for your customers to peruse? Do you work or live in (or both  ) a building that is on a high traffic road or intersection? Can we get you a lawn sign?

 

Please email friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com to help. The more people who know the facts about the pool solution the more yes votes we get and we need every one of them. It may be a single vote that wins this on November 5th and it could be as a result of one person that you convinced. We need your help. Email friendsofcheshirepool@gmail.com immediately if you think your building is a great location for us.