SEALY CITY POOL CLOSES
Officials for the City of Sealy have announced that they have closed the Irene Le Blanc Pool at Jacquelyn Cryan Park indefinitely.
The pool was dedicated in May of 2012. However, dwindling attendance and increasing expenses caused council members to make the difficult decision.
Mayor Carolyn Bilski told the Sealy Times that last year alone, the pool lost more than $130,000, and that is not counting the maintenance and supplies used to keep the facility up and running.
Bilski also mentioned that they have a wastewater treatment plant that needs repairs and council members had to decide where to spend the money.
The wastewater treatment plant was chosen because it would help a larger amount of local residents.
Bilski added that council members mentioned that more and more people are getting their own above ground pools, which they believe has decreased the need for a city pool.
Also, the city staff in Sealy is looking for other options to create a water experience that better serves the needs and finances of taxpayers.
With the number of drownings that occur each year, both of adults as well as children and teens, it would seem that any and every parent would want their child to take swimming lessons. While an above ground pool might be fine for lounging in and having friends over, a larger pool would be a better setting for swimming and the fundamentals of treading water that is certainly over one’s head. As well, once a person knows how to swim, they can practice and increase their stamina by doing laps in a larger pool. I remember someone, Cy Rogers(?) teaching swimming to many of us at the Elk’s pool in the early seventies.
One of the problems is that it was designed as more of a kiddie pool, so there is no appeal for teens and adults. There is no place to swim laps. I have a similar complaint about the aquatic center. We do have the indoor lap pool, but it’s too cold for me. I prefer to swim outside.