The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1922-03-04
Estimated Cost
Of Swimming Pool
Well Known Engineer Gives
Ideas on Possibilities
of Building

John T. Raftis, Sec. Chamber of
Commerce, Colville, Wash. My dear
Mr.. Raftis:
In referring to your recent request
for data pertaining to the building of
a swimming pool in the town of Col
vile, have to advise as follows:
Not very many towns as small as
Colville have undertaken the building
Of a swimming pool, either as a pri-
vate enterprise or public under
taking, but in every case where this
has been done in towns both large
and small, the swimming pool has
proved well worth the effort and mon
ey expended.
Leaving out entirely the commercial
side of the proposition, it would seem
that the time has arrived when Col
vile by all means should build a
swimming pool of some kind, for in
doing so you would just be keeping
within the pace of the times, and Col
vile, as the county seat of Stevens
county, should be leader and not a
follower. And further, the conditions
are ideal here for cheap construction,
such as the best building sand, gravel
and stone Immediately at hand, low
priced lumber manufactured in the
city from forests at the door, and
an ample supply of pure water cheap
ly available from many sources.
But even though you did not have
all these natural and attractive ad-
vantages of cheap construction, it
would be well to note the demand OF
the times and how strongly swimming
appeals to the rising generation and
the rapidly growing demand for open
swimming pools of public nature.
Swimming is beneficial and enjoy
able and no exercise is better. 1t pro-
notes health and prevents colds and
sickness and develops strength and
endurance. For the children there is
no better fun and in the hot summer
months it is an equal pleasure to
young and old to take cool plunge.
To know how to swim may some time
be the means of saving ones own life
or that of another.
The financing of public swimming
pool is of course the first thing nee
essary to consider and I am outlining
four plans as follows:
Private enterprise. Where private
individual builds and operates the
pool as business enterprise, OBJ
tanning revenue from admission
charges.
Bond issue. Where the city issues
bonds and promotes the project.
Membership. Where memberships
are sold to raise construction funds
and giving the members perpetual
or long time free use of the pool and
providing for operating and main
tanning expense from funds secured
from charges to non member users.
Public subscription. Wnere Iuhus
are obtained through subscriptions
from the business men and citizens
of the town. ......-..
Of these four the latter appears to
be the most feasible and possibly
combination of the latter two might
be worked out.
have made preliminary plans and
estimates for a small concrete rec
tangular swimming pool and suggest
another of circular or irregular shape
of cheaper construction, both OF
which l believe will be of value in
deciding whether the project is feas-
ible and in finally determining a
definite plan.
The rectangular pool should be
built of reinforced concrete and
suggest dimensions about as follows:
width 20 to rs feet, length 30 to
65 feet, depth IA to 2 feet at one
end and increasing to or 10 feet
fNousiuuad nm mage eighty