Why America stopped building public pools

[Anonymous]

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

I grew up in that place as well. However, we did have lakes and rivers around us. My family had a season pass to a lakeshore spot (which weirdly was owned by the apple orchard right there so it was an extra source of income for them and we could get apples at the same time). Yes, we had to drive there, but this was in a rural area. I did not feel deprived at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is really sad and is a obvious example of structural racism

It has nothing to do with structural racism. It has to do with the high cost of insurance and expenses to build and ROI. You wanted minimum wage: now multiply that across many lifeguards. Labor is always the most expensive component of any business.

Some gyms have dropped them because they kill their bottom line. Do you go to work to lose money?

[Anonymous]

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

No, private property is not your property.

[Anonymous]

People complain about everything sheesh

[Anonymous]

I grew up in DC and there were and still are public pools throughout the city. I always assumed that was normal until I moved away. DC really is extraordinary in that way.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in DC and there were and still are public pools throughout the city. I always assumed that was normal until I moved away. DC really is extraordinary in that way.

Some big cities are near many lakes or on the Great Lakes or the ocean and have beaches nearby. DC does not. It has the Potomac River, but that has been a working (and dirty) river for the most part.

Secondly, it gets hot in DC in the summer and recreation becomes limited to the pool.

Those are the main reasons that pools are very important to recreation around here. And we are only getting hotter.

[Anonymous]

We're going to need a lot more pools with the way things are warming up.

[Anonymous]

It’s a liability issue. For example, Recently there was an incident and now many of the public lap pools in DC make you get out every 45 minutes on the hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're going to need a lot more pools with the way things are warming up.

Seven years ago today in 2016 we had a high of 98.

Every time it gets hot everybody acts like this has never happened before. Then we have a light summer and everybody forgets. And it repeats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How old are the houses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're going to need a lot more pools with the way things are warming up.

Seven years ago today in 2016 we had a high of 98.

Every time it gets hot everybody acts like this has never happened before. Then we have a light summer and everybody forgets. And it repeats.

This isn’t about vibes. These temperatures have never happened before.

[Anonymous]

Temperatures like this have happened on the planet before and even while our human ancestors were around. Global temperatures have only been tracked since about 1880. So not a long historical record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Temperatures like this have happened on the planet before and even while our human ancestors were around. Global temperatures have only been tracked since about 1880. So not a long historical record.

This means you are anti science. Obviously.

[Anonymous]

What's really sad is PG County, which is majority Black! PG Pool and the Cheverly Swim and Racquet Club are perfect examples of structural racism at it's worse.

[Anonymous]

Air conditioning has also contributed to fewer swimming pools.