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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]
I do see the legacy of racism all around me in NoVA. The private pool thing is sad to consider, given how much we love our local pool club. [b]Interestingly our pool is one of the few in the area that doesn’t have a geographical limitation on who can join[/b] … so maybe the founders were a little more progressive, or maybe one of the successor boards was. Back in the 50’s, neighborhoods were way more segregated due to redlining etc. It is just a fact that public pools closed after segregation, and people created private clubs to keep others out. It’s not allowed now but there’s definitely a legacy to overcome and institutional norms need review to make sure they aren’t perpetuating old biases, like pool bylaws and swim league policies. It seems like these are insignificant things, but they can have big impacts in your very local community. These are the best kinds of things to care about in my opinion.

All of the people saying, oh, well I grew up in a 100% white area and had no public pools are proving the point.[/quote]

No, your pool is not one of the "few" that has no geographical limitation. Maybe it is where you are? Arlington? I live in an old Springfield development (1960s) where there is no private neighborhood pool. I was able to buy membership in various pools throughout the years . . . it was never a problem. If you live in Burke there are 5 pools you can access through your HOA. This is true in many areas in Fairfax (Centreville has something similar). So if you move there it doesn't matter what race you are. You are in the "pool club". If this situation didn't exist, I am sure that Fairfax County would have put in more public pools.

All that said, as the population ages we will have more seniors around. I think any pool that starts to cater to seniors (arthritis water exercise classes for example) will be able to stay in business. The rec centers have all of that and they are real community assets here. Pools are not just for young people. I think Fairfax County is constantly assessing the pool situation. As private pools age and people don't want to pay for them, public pools will come in. The county is doing a good job of maintaining and upgrading the rec center pools. Some, like Cub Run, have more than one pool on the premises. [/quote]

I’m in FFX county, and I said one of the few in my area.  The neighborhoods here were built in the 50s and 60s.  There was a history of redlining here. I have no idea about Springfield and centerville.  Geographical limits where I am appear to vestiges of a time when white flight created the close in burbs and black people were not welcome.  The schools near me were segregated.[/quote]

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