Why America stopped building public pools

[Anonymous]

Given the recent heat way, I found this article shocking. The DMV seems a prime example of this trend.

"Yet just as public pools become more important than ever, they’re disappearing from sight.Pools have become harder to find for Americans who lack a pool in their backyard, can’t afford a country club, or don’t have a local YMCA. A legacy of segregation, the privatization of pools, and starved public recreation budgets have led to the decline of public places to swim in many cities.“If the public pool isn’t available and open, you don’t swim,” Sutton said."


https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/22/business/public-pools-extreme-heat/index.html

[Anonymous]

This is really sad and is a obvious example of structural racism

[Anonymous]

Given the recent heat way, I found this article shocking. The DMV seems a prime example of this trend.

"Yet just as public pools become more important than ever, they’re disappearing from sight.Pools have become harder to find for Americans who lack a pool in their backyard, can’t afford a country club, or don’t have a local YMCA. A legacy of segregation, the privatization of pools, and starved public recreation budgets have led to the decline of public places to swim in many cities.“If the public pool isn’t available and open, you don’t swim,” Sutton said."


https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/22/business/publi...reme-heat/index.html

This has been known (and goes back) for years. Just look at the NVSL (Northern Virginia Swim League). It is all private pools. Fairfax County has put in public rec centers with pools so there is that (and a few YMCAs). But in general there are not enough public recreation facilities (including parks and playing fields for sports).

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a town that was almost 100% white and there was no public pool. Not everything is about racism.

[Anonymous]

This is why I specifically sought out a neighborhood with an associated pool. I was lucky enough to get a lot within walking distance. Otherwise, the only option appeared to be driving 15 min to a rec center, which wasn't ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a town that was almost 100% white and there was no public pool. Not everything is about racism.

What kind of white?

Was this in the north east? South? Midwest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a town that was almost 100% white and there was no public pool. Not everything is about racism.

It is here where we live. As soon as desegregation came to the public pools and "beaches" in the DC area, the private pools got built. All of the private pools in my area were mid-50s initial construction.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been on a community pool board, it is hard work and most people don’t acknowledge your efforts. Maintenance costs for equipment and the club house are high. Computer and billing records are a pain.

Most pools outsource seasonal maintenance and lifeguards to a third party which screw ed us during the pandemic. The contract was enforced even though we had to give our members a buy year for a pool that could not be used.

I enjoyed the pool when my kids were little but back then the $500 annual dues was a lot and now I know it’s a huge undertaking no one wants to pay for.

[Anonymous]

They’re expensive to build, staff, and maintain. And even daily admission to the public pool is getting $$$ these days. I looked up the pool cost for a daily pass at the public pool in the suburb where I grew up in the Midwest and it’s up to $14/day, now you do get a free kids admission with an adult, so a parent and a kid could go for $14. And that’s only available during the week. Weekends are only for season pass holders and the cost is $215 for a family. Definitely not cheap if you’re on a lower income. Seniors do pay less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re expensive to build, staff, and maintain. And even daily admission to the public pool is getting $$$ these days. I looked up the pool cost for a daily pass at the public pool in the suburb where I grew up in the Midwest and it’s up to $14/day, now you do get a free kids admission with an adult, so a parent and a kid could go for $14. And that’s only available during the week. Weekends are only for season pass holders and the cost is $215 for a family. Definitely not cheap if you’re on a lower income. Seniors do pay less.

+1 The other huge problem is liability. In today's world, too many parents/guardians/nannies/babysitters are looking at their cell phones and not keeping an eye on their kids.

[Anonymous]

Tax these private pools and build one truly for the public!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tax these private pools and build one truly for the public!

Communities and cities don't want to be legally and financially responsible for accidental drownings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re expensive to build, staff, and maintain. And even daily admission to the public pool is getting $$$ these days. I looked up the pool cost for a daily pass at the public pool in the suburb where I grew up in the Midwest and it’s up to $14/day, now you do get a free kids admission with an adult, so a parent and a kid could go for $14. And that’s only available during the week. Weekends are only for season pass holders and the cost is $215 for a family. Definitely not cheap if you’re on a lower income. Seniors do pay less.

+1 The other huge problem is liability. In today's world, too many parents/guardians/nannies/babysitters are looking at their cell phones and not keeping an eye on their kids.

And now with the recent stuff coming out about lifeguard certifications, that adds another layer to the staffing/liability portions. It’s an extremely complicated problem. I don’t think it can be blamed entirely or even mostly on racism directly. However it’s certainly more expensive (for a huge number of reasons) to operate a pool in a city vs. in a suburb. And with most Black/Hispanic people living in cities, especially in the North and Midwest, they end up being the most affected. Just like so many other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been on a community pool board, it is hard work and most people don’t acknowledge your efforts. Maintenance costs for equipment and the club house are high. Computer and billing records are a pain.

Most pools outsource seasonal maintenance and lifeguards to a third party which screw ed us during the pandemic. The contract was enforced even though we had to give our members a buy year for a pool that could not be used.

I enjoyed the pool when my kids were little but back then the $500 annual dues was a lot and now I know it’s a huge undertaking no one wants to pay for.

These are great arguments for public pools. Private pools have large facilities dedicated to a limited number of families, sometimes with a neighborhood boundary. Public pools spread the costs over an entire community.

[Anonymous]

I'm a huge proponent of public pools. But, this isn't a new problem. This is why competitive swimming has historically been a sport for white UMC kids. There are a lot more Asians now and the occasional black kid, but it's consistently been an exclusive sport due to cost (the actual pool as a major driver of cost).