Friends of Pool group organizing in support of WSCC pool

Friends of Pool group organizing in support of WSCC pool

LUDINGTON — A group calling itself Friends of the Pool WSCC will hold an organizational meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the West Shore Bank Room of the Mason County District Library Ludington branch, 217 E. Ludington Ave.

According to a brochure distributed by the group, it consists of advocates for infrastructure repairs and maintenance of the WSCC pool, which opened in the mid-1970s. 

“FOTP is formally organizing in order to take our advocacy to the next level,” the brochure states. 

WSCC President Scott Ward recently told MCP that the college’s board of trustees is in the process of hiring consulting engineers to estimate costs of repairs to the pool, located in the WSCC Recreation Center. 

“The pool is at the end of its life,” Ward said. “It is likely that we are looking at full replacement of the pool, not renovations or repairs. We’ve known this is coming for awhile. I think that the due diligence of the college is to look at all options. One of those options is to close the pool. Another is to replace it.”

Ward said the swimming pool (which is mostly funded through property taxes) annually has an approximate $100,000 loss in revenue. 

“We have had a challenge with the swimming pool beyond infrastructure,” Ward said. “For the past several years we have been unable to hire an adequate number of lifeguards, for example. This limits the operating hours of the pool. However, we still have to pay for its upkeep. We have also seen a general drop in usage of the pool by the general public.”

Ward said the study by the engineers will determine actual costs of replacement, but he said those costs will likely be several millions of dollars. 

For more information on the Friends of the Pool, call 843-830-8943 or email friendsofthepoolwscc@gmail.com.