NewsRecord Weekly Publication

The Friendly Observer

By Arthur Keefe

An Olympic pool, perhaps?

This City is very fortunate to have sports facilities many others would love to have. The new tennis courts add to the football pitches, the floodlit basketball courts, and the well kept areas used more informally for other ball games and personal exercise. Not only does this help make this City an attractive place to live and work, but it also encourages health promoting activity. It is good to see these facilities well used by people of all ages and both sexes. 

In the UK, doctors working for the National Health Service can and do “prescribe” exercise of this kind so that poorer people can use a wide range of facilities without charge. 

An addition to our current opportunities here would be a competition sized pool. We have the pool in people’s park, which is well used, but is designed as a recreational pool. It is a welcome creation, but does not really serve those wanting more serious swimming. I recently heard that the San Carlos Youth swimming team won silver and two bronze medals in a district competition. Many congratulations are due to them, not least because these achievements were obtained despite the lack of suitable local facilities for practice. 

I am told that the benefits of a competition sized pool open to the public are already recognized by the City Council, and that a private developer may be interested in creating this. I know from personal experience that the building of a pool is only the start. The real costs arise from the need to properly clean, maintain and manage the pool. A business plan would need to be created to cover the initial and ongoing costs.                                                                                                                                                                            The City Council would then need to determine whether it could subsidize the project or if the charges to users need cover all these costs. The problem with a full cost recovery scheme is that it might result in high charges which would deter many potential swimmers, and be difficult to fully fund. A differentiated scale of charges could be one option, with reduced charges for certain groups such as young people or the elderly. 

A swimming club might raise funds to cover its member’s costs. A City subsidy to reduce charges for all could be justified on the basis of both economic development (by adding to the attraction of the City), and health promotion for all residents. This is the funding model used in most countries, in effect sharing the costs between the public and the private purse. The increased income from the property taxes makes this an ideal time to adopt such a model. 

San Carlos has a justifiable reputation for its sportsmen and women. The addition of a competition pool would allow further development, and I am sure would prove a highly popular innovation. It would also show the City residents that their increased taxes being put to good use.