Support for the WSCC Pool Encouraged
By Deb Del Zoppo
Jan 31, 2024
It appears WSCC President Scott Ward is determined to close the pool, and in fact, has spent many years undermining any attempts to promote and encourage use of the pool. The "Friends of the Pool" group {a 501(c)(3)}, has presented options for water programs, names of lifeguards and people ready to teach water exercise classes, in addition to the name of a current guard who would get certified to teach other swimmers to be guards. Each attempt to help the WSCC Board navigate a solution to pool problems has been, at best, ignored.
Every year, WSCC collects $11 million dollars in taxpayer monies from the surrounding communities. Of this $11 million dollars, $3.5 million goes into a Capital Improvement Fund for new construction, and $7.5 million is used for daily operations. All this, while WSCC currently sits on over $18.6 million dollars of taxpayer - community - money in short-term investments. Mr Ward has said yearly operating costs for the pool are about $140,000. Subtracting the current $30,000 yearly pool income, the remaining balance is about $110,000. This is one point five percent (1.5%) of the $7.5 million dollars of operational money the college gets annually.
I get it. Pools are expensive to maintain. I also understand the Ice Arena has been operating at a loss, as is the Bookstore, which last year lost over $15,000. In fact, nothing at WSCC is self-sustaining. It exists on behalf of the community.
Given the pool is over 50 years old and totally depreciated, Capital Improvements dollars can be used to upgrade the pool. The "Friends" group had to FOIA a pool repair audit done by the college a few months ago. That audit said, essentially, “They don’t build them like this anymore.” That audit also presented plans for repairs that ranged from $3.3 million, to a plan that would cost around $700,000 to repair and replace plumbing that has outlived its use, and to improve other assorted items that would extend the life of the pool another 25 years.
I appreciate the Board suggesting they don’t want to do things “half-way”, and also, that they don’t want to spend $3.3 million dollars to fix a pool for only a couple hundred people to use. However, I don’t have kids at WSCC. I don’t use the Book Store, or the Ice Arena, or the CTE programs. And yet, the college maintains these and other programs at a loss for a few hundred people to use. Their own audit offers a less expensive fix to the infrastructure problems at the pool than $3.3 million dollars.
You may not be a swimmer. You may not be interested in water aerobics or water therapy right now. Nonetheless, you may find yourself, as did I after breaking a leg, in need of all the above. You may find yourself injured and need some weightless exercise, or some time in a hot tub. If we lose this asset, we will never get it back. In the history of WSCC, it will be told of the years we had an extraordinary treasure the Board let slip through their fingers.
If you're interested in helping save this community asset, and in keeping the Community in "Community College" please express your wishes to the Board at this email address: tmstadler@westshore.edu, and watch for the promised Community forum to discuss this concern.
Deb Del Zoppo
Deb Del Zoppo is a retired Ludington High School Biology teacher. She was a life guard at the WSCC pool in the late 1970's. Some of her earliest memories include learning to swim in the arms of her mother.