Swimming-statement-Rauterkus

==Today the kids in Beechview don't swim like they used to.==
:from Mark Rauterkus, delivered in April 18, 2007
Yesterday, Pgh's City Council hosted a post-agenda about swimming pools. A post-agenda is a meeting where onlyl invited guests can speak and the public can't. And, it is a meeting where no votes are taken. They huddle without a care about any specific legislation.
The meeting was on TV, and that might have been the reason why they met at all. The meeting started 30-minutes late and went 30-minutes too long. Most of the other members of council had already left before some of the long-winded folks even came up for air.
A few bits of information was interesting and worth repeating. 
A candid observation was made by Jim Motzink. He said that the kids in Beechview don't swim like they used to. They can't because they don't have a swim pool to go to any more.
The city has about 20 swim pools that are empty. There isn't any hope of putting them back in use. These are vacant properties on vital points in our neighborhoods. They are generally in prime locations. They have become maintance headaches where the grass needs to be cut, fences need to be mended and so on. 
Nobody knows the conditions of these empty pools. It might take $40,000 to re-open some and $500,000 to re-open others. Right now little is known. Nothing seems to be documented. Assets are not detailed. No plan is being presented.
I'll be talking about this lack of plan today in city council chambers when I have three minutes to offer public comment.
Audio of Important Blast From the Past from 2001
swim lessons (yes, some)
Water polo (boys, girls, men, women, co-ed)
Swim teams
swim meets
Syncro
springboard diving
platform diving
syncro diving
distance swimming
snorkel swimming
fin swimming
open water swimming
underwater hockey
scuba
Livesaving competitions
Jr. Lifesaving
Lifeguarding camps
EMS training
boating
toy boating
canoe water polo
science day at the pool
water carnivals
intergernerational programs
water running
jump training
hydro training, strength (tiny)
water aerobics (yes)
coaching training – teach the teacher
stroke analysis – video taping - 
baby swimming
baby video tapes (very popular in Austria)
internships
- Bay Watch – springboard to travel, working abroad, (export teachers), and other careers. Med School students make great lifeguards. 
coordination among public schools – suburban areas differ
County Parks
Merger of Citiparks & County Parks
Volunteers!
Category:Planks Category:Platform Planks from Mark Rauterkus