The discussion and FINAL DECISION on whether the OJR Pool can be kept open, as well as if the Pool needs to be dug out or not, will be discussed at the OJR SB Building and Grounds Meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2007 at 6 PM at the OJR Admin Building. Depending on attendance this location may be changed to the OJR HS LGI Room. If you want the Pool to remain OPEN, tell us why here, as well as be sure to email and call your School Board Members, and let them know how important the OJR Pool is to you and your children. If the OJR Pool can not be kept open ask the OJR SB what they will be doing to find an alternative location. For an example of what the Upper Dublin School District is doing during the Demolotion and Construction of their High School and Pool take a look at: http://www.udsdf.org/InterimFacilityOnline/UDHS_AlternatePoolOptions0809_files/frame.htm This same thing could happen at OJR.
Friday, January 11, 2008
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19 comments:
while the OJR Pool may have been the Taj Majal back in 1967, take a look at what type of Aquatic Facilities other school districts have...
http://www.udsdf.org/
Let's get on the administration to keep the pool open. It can be scheduled in the construction plans if they want it to. Let us not forget that the architects and builders and such are working for us, the school district - they are making a lot of money from this project. Phasing is done for many construction projects - they don't shut down the whole Commodore Barry Bridge to do repairs do they? Have they ever closed the whole Schuylkill Expressway - or just the lanes in phases as they work - even at 3 am!!!!! KEEP THE POOL OPEN FOR OUR STUDENTS!
I just sent an email to the school board
I told them it was important to me that my high schooler be able to enjoy their favorite sport and still be able to do homework and stay in honors classes! She would not be able to do that if she is practicing at 11:00 at night.
Boy, I feel better!
Is Upper Dublin better than OJR?
When was the last time the football team won PAC-10?
Have you seen the Stadium they have to play in?
All students are equal!
wouldn't it be interesting to compare The OJR Football Stadium to other Schools it competes with, vs. OJR's Pool to other schools it competes it? Does anyone have any pictures? How much did OJR spend on the Football, Soccer, and Baseball fields, and how many Senior Citizen Taxpayers get to use them throughout the year?
Hey everyone keep our pool open !!!So the diving team can win our meets, and the swim team too.I want to dive in the olypics.SO KEEP OUR POOL OPEN!!!!!!
-OJR FUTURE OLYMPIAN DIVER-
What would have happened to Patrick Shirk, if the OJR Pool had closed down 2 years ago?
http://www.phillymag.com/files/flash/ptw_mini/landing.html
Pottstown native Schirk, 20, could make a splash this year. Ranked 11th in the world at the 200-meter backstroke, he’s long (six-foot-seven), lean and, well, hunky. He missed the medals podium at August’s International Swim Competition in Japan by two-hundredths of a second. “That was my second time representing the U.S. in a swim meet,” the Penn State junior says, “and the biggest stage so far.” Not for long.
you are so right the OJR pool is the worst pool compared to the other schools.
the administration needs to find builder/architects that can handle the job.
I'm so tired of the lame excuses! It's time to kick a little!
The school board and administration need to relaize the importance of the OJR Pool and look themselves in the mirror and ask "is closing the pool really the best option?" Not only does the OJR Swim and Dive Team use the pool, but so does the high school team. The OJR High School Swim and Dive team have given out more scholastic scholarships over the past 5 years that any other sport at OJR. Why would you want to close a facility that allows the children of this school district the ability to swim all year round as well as gain an athletic scholarship. I only pray that the school board and administration can begin to see the importance to the high school team, the swim club, and the instructional programs offered at OJR. To anyone that hasn't swam, this may not seem like a big deal, but to the kids that are currently in the program and those in the future, this decision is very important. We as OJR parents and swimmers need to inform and sell the OJR school board on why this pool is so important. We as parents of swimmers are willing to work with the school board on 'reasonable' alternatives if the school board would work with us.
This is a crime and insult to the children of the OJR School District. The school board needs to wake-up, check their attitudes at the door, and realize what is in the best interest of the swim teams and the kids of this school district.
to see just how important Age Group Swimming is to the Children of the OJR District take a look at the below video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVYVETpgmXQ
After seeing the above how can the OJR Admin and School Board not see how Swimming is making a difference in these childrens lives
if u make the pool different, make it 8 lanes it will benefit everyone!
Letter to Editor in Daily Local News
Posted on Wed, Jan 16, 2008 Zoom + | Zoom -
Lack of support at OJR disappoints
As a member of the Owen J. Roberts School District and a parent of a student swimmer on the OJR swimming and diving team, I am disappointed with the lack of support received by the OJR board. For the past two to three years, members of the swimming and diving team have been attempting to work with the OJR board over alternatives to closing their pool during some much-needed renovations. When asked to speak at school board meetings, often times the agenda item gets scratched. When asked for participation from school administration, they do not attend. When a new auditorium is seeking additional funding, the check is written immediately.
At the heart of the matter, is the OJR board and administration not accepting responsibility for the well-being of the schoolchildren, not understanding or wanting to understand the importance to the children and parents of the pool, and the unwillingness to work with members and families of the team on alternatives. In all, the OJR Middle School swimming pool is scheduled to begin a renovation project at the end of the 2008 school year. To date, the board and administration of OJR have yet to meet “officially” with the parents of the high school swim team or the OJR swimming and diving team to discuss alternatives to these important swimming programs in the school district.
This is an absolute outrage and a very big disappointment! How can a school board that is supposed to be looking out for the well-being of the children be so closed-minded and unwilling to work with parents for an alternative that would meet the needs of both the school district and the swimming programs? How can a school board be so willing to close a program that has offered more scholastic scholarships for swimming and diving than football, basketball, baseball and soccer? OJR has the largest winter swimming and diving program in the tri-county area; if these swimmers are forced to look for an alternative program, do they really expect them to return when the renovations are completed? Why is the board so opposed to listening to alternatives?
In closing, I have been a part of this school district for seven years and a member of the OJR swimming and diving program for one year. I am very disappointed, angry, upset and concerned with how this matter is being handled. If the members of the board and administration are elected into their positions to be put in a position to look out for the best interest of our children and this is an example of how they conduct business, I would suggest to parents looking to move into the district not do so, members currently in the district to fight for this program to continue, and for the board to look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves, “is this really the best decision for the well-being of the children?” Alternatives can be reached, but it will take both parties working together to make this happen.
John and Susan Hnat
Chester County
Please have a voice in our fight to save the OJR Pool. Below are the links to the newspapers in our local area. It only takes 5-10 minutes to put down your thoughts and send them on there way to the editors of the paper. The more people that get involved, the more concern we can show toward saving our pool.
Inquirer:
Letters@phillynews.com
Phoenixville News:
editor@phoenixvillenews.com
Pottstown Mercury:
letters@pottsmerc.com
Daily Local:
letters@dailylocal.com
John
One thing that I hope all School Board Members, and Administration think about with the projected Closing of the OJR Middle School Pool is:
"What is the Value of One Child Learning to Swim?"
In Addition, what are the consequences to the very successful Age Group Swimming and Diving Program, if the OJR Pool is shut down for 2 years with out an alternative.
Chris DeVol
chrisdevol@aol.com
East Vincent Township
a great website, that show's the importance and Value of Learning to Swim as a Life Long Skill is:
www.makeasplash.org
I agree with keeping the pool open. It is important to our kids for various reasons. But why would the school board listen to us, the tax-payers; Have they ever listen to taxpaying citizens? Look at the redistricting issue. How many parents showed up with valid points and the board still did what they wanted. We need to get to the root of the problems, get the right people on the board, the people who going to listen and give tax payers what they want!!! We all need to back Gene Endress and his tax paying alliance and make this "our" school district!
I think it would be more powerful if people signed their comments. I am in favor of saving the pool at OJR.
Rob McNeil
I sent the below to CBS 3 & ABC6:
I am writing to you as a concerned parent and taxpayer of the Owen J. Roberts (OJR) School District in Chester County. I am also the parent of an Age Group Swim Team member for the past three years. The OJR middle school is slated for renovation starting this June '08. It houses the swimming pool that is used by the High School Swim Team and the Age Group Swimming & Diving Team. The School Board is considering closing the entire middle school for at least a year and a half during the renovations. Which will of course, shut down the pool. This is not necessary, as has been pointed out to the School Board on several occasions. A couple of the options posed to them have been keeping the pool open during those four months while working on another part of the school or enclosing an existing outdoor pool on a temporary basis.
Currently, the School Board has tentatively set up with the Pottstown YMCA to arrange practice swim time for the High School Swim Team. These times are at 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM during the school week. The swim team season begins in November and ends in Late February. We get some of our worst weather during this time of the year. This would put our High School Swim Team students on the road as early as 4:00 AM and as late as 11:30 PM. By closing the pool and sending the Students to a remote location to practice has not only serious safety implications, but will have a negative impact on their studies as well.
The School Board has only made tentative arrangements for the High School Swim Team. The 5 to 14 year old students that participate in the Age Group Swim Program are being left to their own limited resources to find a place to practice. This program has been a part of the Community Aquatics Program of the OJR School District for more than 15 years. This year there is well over 150 students on this team. Negative impacts to the Age Group Swimming & Diving program will ruin the potential of the future High School swim team. We have already had several families leave the Age Group Program this year to go to other programs in anticipation of the Program being shut down.
Some of these kids have no other interest in sports, but swimming. What will this do their motivation to stay fit and active if they have no where to swim? Sure, there are other swim programs out there, but most of them are cost prohibitive to a lot of families and are not as convenient as far as location and scheduling. This (Age Group Program) is also the only swim team program that I am aware of that does not require a student to try out to make the swim team. They have try outs, but it is only to make sure the student can swim one length of the pool for safety reasons.
The next School Board meeting is scheduled Tuesday, January 22nd, at 7:30 PM at the LGI room in the Owen J. Roberts High School. We were hoping Channel 3 could help us get this story out to the public and help our students keep their swim program alive.
To find out more about this, please visit the www.ojrpool.com website. Also, here is the link to the Age Group website to learn more about our team, www.ojrswim.org.
Thank you in advance for considering this story.
Sincerely,
Owen J. Roberts School District Taxpayer and Parent
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