Long-term plan needed for FHSD swimming facilities
Forest Hills School District intends to work with community partners to develop a comprehensive plan for the district’s swimming programs. The purpose of this plan is to provide quality programming to all Forest Hills swim and dive student-athletes.
Regular maintenance has allowed the pools to function for decades; however, significant funding will be needed to keep both pools operational into the future. As good stewards of the public dollar we must carefully consider all options to identify a feasible and affordable solution, including potential partnerships with private groups or community organizations. Resolving these issues to ensure students have quality aquatic facilities and programming well into the future at an affordable cost is paramount for current district leadership and Board of Education.
Anderson’s pool is approximately 60 years old. Engineers have determined there is a leak in the pool and extensive structural work is required for it to be safe and functional. Based on early estimates, this work could cost more than $600,000. Turpin’s pool recently required repairs that were much smaller in scale and cost. While the 44-year-old pool is currently operational, it most likely has a limited number of usable years left due to its age. While we feel that we were successful this year in providing the space and support for our swimming and diving student-athletes, we know that a long-term solution is necessary.
Forest Hills remains committed to its swimming programs. The district’s swim coaches, athletic directors and administrators will continue to work together to ensure that swimming and diving student-athletes and their families have the resources needed to achieve ongoing success during the 20-21 swim season. Additionally, we will continue to communicate our efforts to the larger community.
Finding a solution that supports the needs of our students and the expectations of the community is a top priority for the district. We look forward to sharing more information regarding next steps this spring.
