"Daddy, where did the Pool go?"

That's a conversation I don't want to have with my 2 boys.

I’m a regular user of the American Legion pool. Big fan. My family loves it on scorching hot days to cool off. Every summer, hundreds of Patton Park campers look forward to a few minutes of refreshment in the pool after a hot day running around camp.

I love the pool, but it’s in bad shape. I don’t love the following:

My kids can’t jump in to the pool. That’s right. No jumping allowed- not deep enough.

Do you have long hair? Then you’ll have to wear a bathing cap. Yep-bathing caps.

Wasting water. There’s a leak in the pool. To the tune of 3,000 gallons a day. A garden hose is turned on all day to keep the water level up.

I can’t use it after 6pm. Swim team practice.

The pool has lasted 52 years. We’ve managed to patch and repair it, but it’s well past its useful life of 35 years. 

“But no-one uses the pool”!!! say detractors. Of course they don’t. Would you?! Is it worth keeping? No. We could fill it in, and call it a day. Voila. Kaput.

Thankfully, for the past 2 years, your friends and neighbors have decided to do something about it. They’ve researched the issue, surveyed both towns, and the Hamilton CPC (Community Preservation Committee), The FinCom, The Hamilton Wenham Joint Recreation Board and the Hamilton Board of Selectman have all approved the use of CPC funds to build a new pool.

“But it’s a $2.5 million Water World!!!”

Waaaait a second. That’s a deliberate, very conservative estimate made by an outside company. They’ve already told us this is a padded estimate. And it’s a bit more complicated than just a pool. It’s infrastructure. It’s a brand new septic system. It’s bringing everything up to code.  Yes, it includes a kiddie pool. Call me crazy, but if you’re smart, invest in a kiddie pool so a toddler’s accident doesn’t shut down the larger pool for the day. It’s building a pool big enough for my family to cool off in late afternoon and my parents can swim laps-or the swim team practices-at the same time. 

“But why the Rush? What about a second opinion?

It’s been on our radar screen for two years. (http://www.wickedlocal.com/hamilton/news/x919526315/Hamiltons-Patton-Park-pool-celebrates-anniversar...) Have you seen the pool lately? Hiring another firm/engineer would mean draining the pool, at which point, we are told, the sides would cave in because they are so old. We already know the pool is falling apart. We’ve been told this for the past two years. Are you telling us that an engineer would risk caving in a pool for free?

"But what about saving CPC money for open space/conservation/affordable housing?!”

Great point. Really good point. It’s not an easy decision. Everyone wants affordable housing, green space, and construction/ maintenance of our war memorials and more.

But step back a minute and think about it. What ONE project could we fund that would benefit the ENTIRE Hamilton/Wenham community for years to come? Toddlers, kids, tweens, teens, adults, grandparents, and even your (paying) out of town guests. It’s a place where your entire family could spend the day in the summer. Kids can bike there and hang out there instead of the mall. You can cool off there mid-week after a sticky commute from Boston. Think of what we could do on July 4th. Baseball, BBQ, Fireworks, Music at the Gazebo. All framed by a beautiful park, playground, the pool, and of course, Patton’s tank. July 4th today? There’s a virtual exodus out of town. 

WE WOULD USE IT.  Regularly.  It’s a natural (and much needed) extension and enhancement of the special place we call Patton Park.

A final thought if you aren’t convinced on voting YES for the pool on November 4th. 

Is it expensive? Sure it is. So is a train ticket into Boston and a cup of coffee. Have you been to a Patriots/Red Sox/Bruins/Celtics game lately? This is a community resource that thousands of people will USE at no extra cost to the taxpayer.  I’d rather vote on a $2 million pool now than spend the next few years bickering over the cost- which will go up.

Speaking of expensive…..Wenham spent $6,358,500 for a new Town Hall and Police Station. Hamilton spent $5,939,000 for the Public Safety Building.  I go to the Hamilton Public Safety building twice a year for a fire permit and the Spaghetti Dinner. I go to Wenham Town Hall once a year to vote. That’s 12 million dollars. I use these resources, but sparingly. We’d certainly use a new pool more than 3 times a year…

Are you telling me that I have to look my kids in the eye and tell them we voted for $12 million worth of buildings but NOT a pool?