Alternative Swim Options Don’t Measure Up
By Jennifer L Miller DO
January 9, 2024
I have been attending board meetings at WSCC in order to understand their plans for the pool there. At the most recent meeting, Jan. 15, Mr Ward discussed his concerns about updating and maintaining the pool. One of his arguments was that there were already three other pools available to the public that could serve the needs of the community.
I researched these options and sent a letter with the results of my research to the board but also want to share it with the public as I think the community would benefit from maintaining the WSCC pool and expanding its usage with aerobics classes, swim lessons, and more open swim. Availability at other pools is not an option.
To WSCC board members and President Ward:
After listening to Mr Ward at the January 15th WSCC board meeting describe 3 alternative pools that could be used by current WSCC swimmers I decided to explore these options.
I spoke with Marie at Lakeside Comprehensive Rehabilitation, a privately owned pool at 601 E. Main Street in Hart. They offer aquatic therapy for their patients at specified times and also offer some public instructed classes. Open swim is available in 1-2 hour blocks twice a day M-F and on Saturday from 7-9 am.
There are several limitations to the use of this pool. The first is size. The pool is 25 ft by 35 ft and all but one corner is only 4 feet deep. The pool at WSCC is25 meters long which is over 82 feet in length with six wide lanes. Lap swim is not feasible at the Hart location. Maximum capacity is 30 people.
The drive to this pool from Ludington is about 30 minutes and there is no reservation system. Users outside of Ludington may even have a longer drive. Therefore, open swimmers could make a drive and potentially not get to use the pool during the limited open swim times. Many people cannot afford the time or gas to drive this distance on a regular basis. Lap swimmers would not be able to use this pool.
Donald C. Baldwin community Pool located at Ludington Middle School is comparable in size to WSCC and is a convenient location for many of our swimmers. I spoke with Joe Schneider who is the current pool director. Unfortunately, their open swim times are Monday-Friday from 6-7:30 a.m. with some occasional Saturday hours.
They have six lanes for lap swim but when swim teams are in season the team practices during the open swim times so only three lanes are available to the public. The limited open swim hours make this option not viable to many swimmers.
Paine Aquatic Center on 12th Street at the Manistee High School is the final option Mr. Ward mentioned. I spoke with Sara regarding the availability at their site. They have open swim from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. She stated that the pool usage is highest from 6-10 a.m. and there would be limited availability then but they could accommodate more in the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. time periods.
They do not reserve lanes and at busy times patrons may have to wait for openings. They also have some Saturday open swim times, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and some 5:30-7 p.m. open swim during the week when not in use by the swim team. This pool could be an option for some of our swimmers but again it is about a 30 minute drive from Ludington and longer from other locations so that may be a barrier for our WSCC users.
The alternative pools that Mr Ward described as options for our swimmers are not going to be an answer for the majority of WSCC pool users. Size, distance, and available times will not accommodate us. The need for the pool at WSCC is evident and I would encourage you to consider its maintenance and expansion of programs as an investment in our community for generations to come.
Jennifer L Miller DO
Jennifer is a retired physician and resident of Ludington for 34 years. She raised her family here, enjoys using the pool for fitness, and is just beginning to bring her daughter and 18-month-old grandson to the pool for swim experience.