To the Editor:

The recent buzz about a $2 million pool is not a “proposal” or “alternate plan,” as described in an Aug. 31 BME article. Proposals and plans are formal, detailed and thoroughly researched. What is currently being talked about is a brainstorm. It is a distraction from our chance to build a pool for our kids.

The proposed pool plan was settled on after literal decades of community conversations, research, and decision-making. The process included many public meetings, a steering committee, a community survey, and countless hours of work by public servants and volunteers. Multiple designs were considered. Based on community input (and the reality of construction and operational costs), a modest design was chosen. Professional pool builders, architects, and cost estimators were hired to create the current proposal. The time to hash out the details of the pool design or propose a radically different project has passed!

Pools must be built with safety and function in mind. Public projects must follow code and be ADA-compliant. Fencing, office space and restrooms are not optional features. They are not fancy extravagances. They are the basic components of a public pool. And yes, they add significantly to the cost! When you look closely at examples of other communities who have recently funded less expensive projects, it is clear that they are really not comparable to what is needed and proposed for our community.

In May, voters were falsely led to believe that the vote was a choice between a new pool and redoing the old pool. The narrative being created this election is uncannily similar. There is no $2 million dollar pool option. Public comments and media coverage that make it sound like a comparable option are misleading, and the consequence very well may be another failed bond measure and no pool.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to vote for a fiscally responsible plan that meets the needs of our community. Help to build a significant asset that will serve us for decades. Let’s do it for our kids and for our community.

Make a plan now to vote yes for the pool.

Jesse Schaefer

Canyon City