To Dig or not Dig the Pool, that is the Question

To keep the Pool Open or Not, that is the question

Dear OJR SB

Dear Members of the Board and Dr. Forrest,
I was at the Buildings and Grounds meeting last week and the subject of keeping the pool open during construction was brought up and discarded. We are asking the board to look further into the issue of keeping the pool open for the necessary 4 months.
We believe that a plan can be created and implemented for the 4 month period without causing construction delays. We would like to ask the district’s architects to explore this option and make recommendations on how the schedule can be adjusted to achieve this. Mark Zeleznick has offered his expertise in this field to work with anyone necessary to achieve a solution that will benefit both the district and the swim team.
Closing the pool and sending out kids to an alternate location has serious safety implications for our children. The swim season is during the winter months, which historically have been the worst months of the year in terms of weather. The reality is that our swimmers will either drive to practice or drive to school to take a bus to practice. For a 5:00am practice, most swimmers will be on the road as early as 4:00am. When there is inclement weather, Dr. Forrest makes a decision on whether the district closes much later then this. Our swimmers are bound by the district’s decision on whether or not buses should be on the road-will Dr. Forrest be able to make this decision by 4:00am each day?
It was also mentioned that the last construction renovation project caused disruption to students during the day. This is not an issue for the swim team. We are not talking about a classroom disruption. The swimmers and divers won’t care if they hear construction noise during their practice.
It was also mentioned that a 5:00am practice would be a hardship for these students. This will be an exhausting schedule to keep. What type of impact will this have on grades and test scores? Extra time on either end of the day, be it at 5:00am or at 10:30pm, will have a negative impact on these students and their work. Practicing after school is not an option at any other local pool due to scheduling conflicts, therefore, we must make sure that we have explored every option to keep OJR’s pool open for our team.
The important thing to remember is that this is an OJR Swim Team, not an outside team. They deserve every consideration by the district to work with the architects and the construction management to craft a plan to allow them to practice at our facilities without impacting the construction schedule. We believe that this can be achieved. They deserve our best efforts in this area, and I don’t believe we’ve given it to them.
Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter.
Dee Bennett On behalf of the OJR High School Swimmers and Divers and their Parents

The Future of the OJR Pool

What would the Community of OJR like to be see done with the OJR Pool?