Some hard choices are in store for Adrian regarding the city\u2019s public pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At more than 50 years old, it\u2019s long past the expected end of its useful life. And because there are only so many times things can be repaired and patched, the city commission will soon need to make a choice about whether Adrian should continue to have a public pool in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cost of a complete overhaul is daunting \u2014 though getting rid of the pool entirely wouldn\u2019t be cheap either, as removing it and restoring the land to its original condition would be expensive in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One issue discussed at the past few city commission meetings is that pool use has been declining. Adrian is not the only community to see this trend. Maybe kids just have more options during the summer than they used to; maybe splash pads like the one at Parish Park are just as desirable for cooling off in the summer heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, some commissioners wondered if it would make sense to install more splash pads at parks around the city instead. There is merit to this idea. Perhaps the best argument for it is that, rather than a single large facility located on the west side of town, amenities could be spread more equally throughout the community. Putting more money into recreational opportunities like splash pads could improve quality of life across the entire city, strengthening all of our neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, splash pads may be good for cooling off, but they can\u2019t offer all of the same opportunities as a public pool \u2014 swimming lessons chief among them. Drowning rates in the U.S. have ticked upward over the past few years, and we can\u2019t ignore the benefits of more children learning to swim. The next year will help determine whether community partnerships, for example with Adrian Public Schools, can make this opportunity just as accessible to city residents as it is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is one thing we\u2019ll say for sure: this decision should not<\/em> be made based on the fact that Bohn Pool operates at a deficit every year \u2014 that is to say, user fees don\u2019t bring in enough money to cover costs, so the difference has to be made up with general fund dollars. It\u2019s popular to insist that government ought to run like a business, but government has a completely different purpose. The purpose of a business is to make a profit \u2014 while the purpose of government is to serve the people. Investments in quality of life don\u2019t always make money, and that\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This moment calls for careful planning, for considering all of the options, and for public engagement. Residents should consider what they want in public recreational amenities and tell their elected representatives. When open forums are held for the next parks and recreation long-term plan, people need to attend. It\u2019s time to come together and talk about what we want to invest in as a community \u2014 and as many people as possible need to be part of the conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some hard choices are in store for Adrian regarding the city\u2019s public pool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"community":[],"class_list":["post-3787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-perspectives"],"yoast_head":"\n