Save Scona Pool

Final Council Meeting this Wednesday!

Author: FHackett

Hello and thank you for all the support Scona Pool has received over the past couple of months!  Without all the hard work, dedication, and vocal support put in by so many of you, the pool would certainly be closed now.

This Wednesday morning, July 8th, City Council will choose whether or not to accept the CSC’s recommendation that the pool stay open for at least another year.  This is the final vote that will decide the fate of  Scona Pool!  The meeting starts at 9:30;  anyone who would like to come out and sit in on the meeting please meet us in the lobby at 9:15.  We are not permitted to speak at this meeting but a silent show of support would be very meaningful.

Thanks once again for EVERYTHING!  =)

July 6th, 2009  |  Posted in Uncategorized  |  No Comments »

The First Step is WON!

Author: KFeng

Today, June 22nd at City Hall, the Community Services Committee made a recommendation to keep Scona Pool open for at least another year!

The decision was passed UNANIMOUSLY!

While we have won this first step, we still will not know the final outcome until the full City Council meets on July 8th. The fact that we had 4 out of 4 votes from the CSC is a VERY GOOD THING! Add to that the dedicated and sincere support from Councillor Anderson and Councillor Iveson, should give us a very good start on July 8th.

For those who have not been involved much in politics, I must say that the Councillors at the meeting today were extremely open-minded, realistic (in terms of the budget deficit), and worked hard to create a solution to this issue that WE all know has been poorly dealt with. Chalk one up for these Councillors folks, because they were great! If you’re not sure who we are talking about, please see the post below!

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Movement! We still have a ways to go, but as Councillor Iveson stated, “We may be climbing a mountain, but we’ve got that first handhold now.”

Stay posted for more on how you can help effectively in the next 2 weeks!

Thanks again!

Save Scona Pool - Action Team

June 22nd, 2009  |  Posted in Uncategorized  |  1 Comment »

Thank you for your Support!

Author: KFeng

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to say thank you on behalf of the Action Team to all who showed up to the Scona Pool Appreciation Party to show their support, and to those who messaged/emailed/called back saying that they could not be there but still supported our cause. I hope you all had a great time!

We had an amazing turn out with over 200 people in attendance from various user groups, businesses and communities on a beautiful sunny day with hot dogs roasting and cold drinks sweating away in tubs full of ice. Councillor Henderson and Councillor Iveson biked in around 4pm to speak with community members and get an in-depth and detailed tour of the pool, as well as to provide insight into the issue of the pool itself. Rachel Notley (Strathcona MLA) showed up with her children to enjoy a refreshing dip in the pool showing her support for our movement. Linda Duncan (MP) was represented by her executive assistant Erica Bullwinkle who made the rounds with our other VIPs speaking to everyone, including the reporters from the Edmonton Journal and Global TV.

Now we have ahead of us, the Community Services Committee meeting on Monday, June 22nd at City Hall. The issue will be addressed at 9:30am, and we will be meeting in the lobby at City Hall at 9:15am to gather as a group. From there, we will proceed to the venue where the meeting will be held (the exact venue will be determined by how many people show up). If you are interested in attending that meeting to show your support before the Committee, please contact us immediately at info@savesconapool.org so that we can get an accurate count of supporters for this event.

The significance of this event is this: We need a recomendation from the Committee to re-open Scona Pool if we want to keep this facility. A recommendation can be made with 3 out of the 4 votes from Councillors on that Committee.

The Community Services Committee Councillors are:

Ward 4 Councillor Ben Henderson - Chair, Phone: 780-496-8146
Ward 1 Councillor Linda Sloan - Vice Chair, Phone: 780-496-8122
Ward 2 Councillor Kim Krushell, Phone: 780-496-8136
Ward 2 Councillor Ron Hayter, Phone: 780-496-8128

If you REALLY want to help out, please contact these Councillors (especially if you live in their wards) and tell them personally how much the closure of Scona Pool will affect you.

Our “D-Day” is June 22nd. Without that recommendation, we have no hope of moving forward or continuing with our efforts to save our pool. We need as many voices to let the Councillors know BEFORE June 22nd that this is an issue that matters.

Thank you again for caring!

Kirby Feng
www.savesconapool.org

June 15th, 2009  |  Posted in General, Information  |  No Comments »

Scona Pool Appreciation Party

Author: KFeng

We are hosting a Scona Pool Appreciation Party on Sunday, June 14th from 3pm to 5pm.

Our goal is to convey to the media how important this pool is and if all our efforts fail to bring about a resolution, at least we’ll have one last party, eh!

Please spread the word and show up with friends and family!

If you know you are able to make it for sure, please send us a quick email (info@savesconapool.org) so that we can guestimate a head count.

Thanks all and see you at the party!

June 5th, 2009  |  Posted in General  |  No Comments »

New Petition Deadline

Author: FHackett

In light of the Community Services Committee meeting upcoming on June 22nd (see the “What’s Happening” post), we are extending our deadline for petition signatures to Friday, June 19th.

You can download the petition from this website — click the “Petition” link above.  Help us get as many signatures as possible by June 19th!

May 30th, 2009  |  Posted in General  |  2 Comments »

What’s Happening

Author: KFeng

After a number of meetings with various city bureaucrats and politicians, here is what we have determined is happening with Scona Pool right now.

1. The City has stated that Scona Pool is “open” - open for 2 hours a day with the time varying depending on which day. All lessons and private rentals and bookings have been cancelled. The total operational hours are about 16 hours/week at this moment. The total operational hours at any other city pool is over 100 hours/week.

2. Scona Pool has been given a mandate by the City to be closed on June 30. This decision can only be reversed by a full vote (in favour) at Council to overturn this previous decision. The date we are now given is July 8th for that Council session (which is the last session of the summer).

3. There will be a Community Services Committee meeting on June 22nd where the inquiry by Councillors Anderson and Iveson will be addressed. At this time, Scona Pool will be on the agenda. The committee only has the power to make a recommendation to council (as opposed to actually making a decision). If a recommendation to keep the pool running is made, City Council will be required to vote on this on July 8th.

4. The costs for keeping the pool open are considered minor in terms of maintenance. The main “worry” from the city is that there will possibly be some major structural costs required. This would require a full engineering report to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars to be conducted. This could possibly lead to an extremely high cost for repair that is not insignificant.

5. Issue of ownership is still contested as the Edmonton Public School Board states that the structure is owned by the City as they built it. The City states that the City helped put money into the pool to build it, but that it was built by the School Board on School Board land. The fact of the matter is that the lawyers on both sides are finding ways to say that the other party owns the pool.

As the situation evolves, we will continue to try to keep things up to date on this site. If you are interested in showing your support for our movement at City Hall on Monday, June 22nd at the Community Services Meeting, please email us at info@savesconapool.org with your name and contact phone number. Our plan is to meet in the foyer at 9:15am. We are trying to get an idea of the numbers of people interested in attending the meeting with the Councillors and the more people we have, the better!

Thanks again for your support and thanks for caring!

May 27th, 2009  |  Posted in Information  |  No Comments »

Update: Official Petition Now Available!

Author: FHackett

We are now underway — time to get signatures!  You can download the official Save Scona Pool petition, as well as forms that underage supporters can fill out, on the Petition page — just click on the “Petition” link at the top of the website!

If you’d like to sign, print out your own copy or save some trees and check the Petition page for updates on when and where you can add your name to our petition.  We need as many signatures as possible by May 31st!  This is a very real way we can send a strong message to City Council that we care about keeping this pool open for the sake of the community.

Again, we need your help! If you are interested in volunteering to help us circulate the petition, let us know — email info@savesconapool.org.

May 19th, 2009  |  Posted in General, Information  |  No Comments »

Petition and All Call for Volunteers!

Author: Bry Rousselle

Hello Everyone,

Our names are Bry Rousselle and Finola Hackett and we are heading the volunteering faction of the Save The Scona Pool effort. Within the next week we will have a petition made and will be needing volunteers to go around the community getting signatures and helping to spread the word about the pool closure. If you are interested in helping please send us an email at info@savesconapool.org and we will contact you with info on what you can do to help.

If you would like to sign our petition, please register on this website and check back frequently!  We will post updates on when and where you can sign.

May 12th, 2009  |  Posted in General, Information  |  1 Comment »

What Can You Do?

Author: KFeng

With all the news in the media and rumors floating around about what is going to happen or what is not going to happen,  are you feeling powerless and unheard?  Are you feeling that the wide ranging numbers and costs being thrown around are baffling when all you want to do is to see a facility maintained for the greater good of the community?   Are you feeling frustrated that new facilities are being built in outlying neighbourhoods while old facilities have fallen into disrepair possibly because no one wanted to take on the burden of maintaining them properly?

These are but a few of the concerns and issues that are being brought up by You, by Us, by the People and there are many of us who want to do something about this, but do not know what we CAN do.    We all know how important a recreational facility like a pool is to our communities.  If we look at the bigger picture, it’s even more important to the city as a whole - when services are cut in one area, it always put a greater strain on services in another area.    Or it simply discourages people to use said services, and in this case, if we let the physical fitness of our children, our parents and ourselves become a secondary issue, the long term consequences in terms of quality of life and health care becomes staggering.

We need a focus and a direction.    The City is talking about bidding for the Universiade Games.  What is the point of this, if we have no commitment to fitness and athletics?  Everyone in the swim community and water activity leagues can see enrollments falling every year.   Is this so hard to understand when there are no pools for people to train in?  It’s all great to talk about hosting high profile events and saying that “events like this are very good for Edmonton”, but what about the long term commitment to the people who would want to compete in those events.   Does this not border on hypocrisy to say such events are good for the city when the City is looking for ways to “save money” by cutting the very foundations on which such games and events are built?   Does this make sense to you?   Bottom Line:  Such events are great for the city because it brings in money;  Closing a pool is also great because it saves money.    So in the end, it’s all about money.  Or is it?  After all, it is OUR money that is being spent.    And we have a say.

So how about this… instead of closing Scona Pool, or paying a 3rd party private interest to run the pool (with no provisions for hours of operation and service), why not have the City run the pool.  After all, is that not what we pay them to do?   In fact, seeing as there is so much work that needs to be done to maintain these old facilities, why don’t we make an investment in our future?   The investment is in the health of our community, in our attractiveness as a City to the outside world in promoting health and fitness, sports and activities, for our bids for various high profile games and other sporting events.   How do we do this?   We bite the bullet and MODERNIZE our aging facilities.  Why drag out maintenance costs on a structure just to barely keep it open?   It’s always a matter of how much it costs now, but if we invest now, we will pay a lot less Later.   Let’s take an aging 1955 swimming pool with 4 lanes at 25 yards (yeah, yards…) and rebuild it as a 6-8 lane pool at 25 metres.    With greater numbers of lanes, more people would be able to use the facility, and with it modernized and renovated to current standards, competitive teams would be able to host competitions and train properly.  Just FYI, no one competes in yards any more… the last races and official competitions were in the 1970s.    However you do the math, that was a long time ago.   In terms of long term viability, do you see the metric system going the way of the dinosaur any time soon? :P  

Let’s forget about merely keeping the pool open - let’s make it viable!  Let our City maintain and run the facility (and not some private contractor with no obligations to offer a minimum level of activity & availability - for as we all know they are in the business of making money, not providing services), and use our tax dollars to revitalize Edmonton, rather than limp along with bandage short-term solutions.  

We need to speak together, with the same voice and with a greater vision.   We need to have the foresight and understanding to pave the way for our future and concentrate our efforts on creating something that will last.   We need to show the people whom we’ve elected to spend our hard earned money that this is something that matters to us - Our City, Our Community, Our Health,  Home and Family.   We need to act as a whole, and we also need to act as individuals.   This vision can be fulfilled if we are willing to put in the time, the energy and the money to make it so.   This vision WILL come to pass if we all want it to.

SO.  What can YOU do?   Get on board!  

-Post comments!  Share ideas and let’s brainstorm together!

-Write emails to they Mayor and your Ward Councillors and phone their offices expressing your feelings and sharing the positive vision we have for our City. (http://edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/city-councillors.aspx)

-Email us your name and contact info if you’re willing to volunteer time or services. (info@savesconapool.org)

-Be ready to Rally!  Let us meet with the Mayor at City Hall and show the strength of our commitment.

-Spread the word.    This affects more than just the communities and businesses around Scona Pool.   This affects all of us - without more teams (swimming, waterpolo, syncro, etc.) there is no competition; without competitors, there is no sport.

-Be Positive!  We’re trying to do something GREAT here - not point fingers about all the things that could or should have been done in the past.  Let’s look forward to the future and see what we can accomplish NOW.

Thank you for your time in visiting this site and Good on you for caring!

May 6th, 2009  |  Posted in General  |  2 Comments »