Why America stopped building public pools

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a town in NJ that was mostly white and there weren’t any community pools. First time I ever heard of such a thing was when I moved to VA. Nobody cared at all. Why would there be shared pools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

I’d never known an area with so many pools as NOVA. Where I lived in SE Michigan, we had to either go to a neighbors house or a lake. There were and are very few community pools let alone private pool clubs. I didn’t know private pool clubs existed until I moved to NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

No, private property is not your property.

Private companies don’t pay taxes? You don’t pay property taxes on your private land?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Still chuckling about the other thread that called some priv pools swim team the kkkiller whales. No horse in this game otherwise since we have a pool.

[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.

We go to our neighborhood pool all the time and I have never seen a parent or guardian not paying attention to a child young enough to need individual adult attention in the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
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


I’d never known an area with so many pools as NOVA. Where I lived in SE Michigan, we had to either go to a neighbors house or a lake. There were and are very few community pools let alone private pool clubs. I didn’t know private pool clubs existed until I moved to NOVA.

You had lakes. You also lived in Michigan where summer is not as hot nor as long as it is in the DC swamp. So your situation is Michigan was not the same. Can't compare.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a town in NJ that was mostly white and there weren’t any community pools. First time I ever heard of such a thing was when I moved to VA. Nobody cared at all. Why would there be shared pools?

Name the town.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a town in NJ that was mostly white and there weren’t any community pools. First time I ever heard of such a thing was when I moved to VA. Nobody cared at all. Why would there be shared pools?

Where did people swim? Where did they learn to swim? Did the schools have swim teams? If so, did the swim teams "share the pool"? How does that work?

[Anonymous]

The purpose of PG Pool's existence was for white people to swim in a place w/out black people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We go to our neighborhood pool all the time and I have never seen a parent or guardian not paying attention to a child young enough to need individual adult attention in the pool.

That's great, but we're talking public pools--not an exclusive neighborhood pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up in a town in NJ that was mostly white and there weren’t any community pools. First time I ever heard of such a thing was when I moved to VA. Nobody cared at all. Why would there be shared pools?

Where did people swim? Where did they learn to swim? Did the schools have swim teams? If so, did the swim teams "share the pool"? How does that work?

Here is a crazy thought - they didn’t. When did learning to swim become an inalienable right? Is this written in our constitution somewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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


I’d never known an area with so many pools as NOVA. Where I lived in SE Michigan, we had to either go to a neighbors house or a lake. There were and are very few community pools let alone private pool clubs. I didn’t know private pool clubs existed until I moved to NOVA.

You had lakes. You also lived in Michigan where summer is not as hot nor as long as it is in the DC swamp. So your situation is Michigan was not the same. Can't compare.

The topic is why America stopped building public schools.
Last I checked Michigan was part of America. Plenty of places don’t have pools and it isn’t about racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up in a town in NJ that was mostly white and there weren’t any community pools. First time I ever heard of such a thing was when I moved to VA. Nobody cared at all. Why would there be shared pools?

Where did people swim? Where did they learn to swim? Did the schools have swim teams? If so, did the swim teams "share the pool"? How does that work?

Here is a crazy thought - they didn’t. When did learning to swim become an inalienable right? Is this written in our constitution somewhere?

What schools had swimming pools???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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


I’d never known an area with so many pools as NOVA. Where I lived in SE Michigan, we had to either go to a neighbors house or a lake. There were and are very few community pools let alone private pool clubs. I didn’t know private pool clubs existed until I moved to NOVA.

You had lakes. You also lived in Michigan where summer is not as hot nor as long as it is in the DC swamp. So your situation is Michigan was not the same. Can't compare.

The topic is why America stopped building public schools.
Last I checked Michigan was part of America. Plenty of places don’t have pools and it isn’t about racism.

Everything is racist. It was even racist when I had to use a slip and slide in my uncles back yard in Detroit when it was hot AF since there weren’t any public pools. Except one of the GM guys also lived on his block and was black, so those kids came too. It’s all very confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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


I’d never known an area with so many pools as NOVA. Where I lived in SE Michigan, we had to either go to a neighbors house or a lake. There were and are very few community pools let alone private pool clubs. I didn’t know private pool clubs existed until I moved to NOVA.

You had lakes. You also lived in Michigan where summer is not as hot nor as long as it is in the DC swamp. So your situation is Michigan was not the same. Can't compare.

The topic is why America stopped building public schools.
Last I checked Michigan was part of America. Plenty of places don’t have pools and it isn’t about racism.

Everything is racist. It was even racist when I had to use a slip and slide in my uncles back yard in Detroit when it was hot AF since there weren’t any public pools. Except one of the GM guys also lived on his block and was black, so those kids came too. It’s all very confusing.

LOL. I grew up in the city of Detroit — most yards weren’t big enough for a slip n slide. We had the sprinkler on our yard. And at cousins who lived in one of the two family homes also.