Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Letter to the Editor Policy.
Dear Editor,
In support of the pool at West Shore Community College
Somewhere between 3500-4000 people drown each year in the United States. Approximately 10 people drown each day. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4. Drowning remains the second leading cause of death in children between the ages of 5 and 15. There is a great need for young people to learn to swim in a controlled environment. Ludington and Manistee have pools. If you are a young person living in Scottville, Custer, Free Soil, Branch, Baldwin, or Pentwater, where would you go to learn to swim? At least in the past the answer would be the pool at West Shore Community College.
I suspect that the board at WSCC in 1975 recognized the need and responded to that need by building a pool. That pool continues to serve approximately 50 community members every day that it is open. Many of those people are looking for a low impact workout that they cannot get anywhere else. Having a pool within a reasonable driving distance is an important part of their lives. Denying them that option is not consistent with the WSCC philosophy that we have seen in the past. WSCC is the institution it is today because of the financial support that it has received from the taxpayers. As a result, the college has some responsibilities to those constituents.
One of the stated goals of the board at WSCC is to “serve the community”. It is written on a plaque on the wall at the back of the meeting room and in their online document titled “Strategic Planning “. Guess what, closing the pool is abandoning the community, not serving it. The pool remains a well-used and much needed asset for the public. Closing it is not consistent with the stated goals or core values that have guided WSCC board decisions in the past.
Paul Drewry
Custer
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