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Letters
Los Altos pool debate resonates locally
Our neighboring community of Los Altos is debating whether to build a new community pool in McKenzie Park. I think it is important that Sunnyvale know about the opportunity in front of us.
The only community pool in Los Altos is at the Covington School, and will be demolished when the school renovates the site in June 2000. The McKenzie site has been favored for its size and because its only adjoining neighborhoods are commercial. Neither Los Altos High School nor the elementary schools wished to partner with the city to replace the pool on one of their sites.
Some neighbors oppose a pool in their local park to preserve open space, tennis courts and heritage trees, or becuase of concerns about noise and increased traffic on residential streets. Other Los Altans do not want to accommodate out-of-town (Sunnyvale) residents. Still others don't want public money going to consultants to study locations and perform environmental studies, and don't want to see the city's time and effort spent to conduct contract bids.
The Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Department has a unique opportunity. The Fremont Union High School District has offered to partner with the city of Sunnyvale to build a jointly used and operated Olympic-sized pool at Fremont High School. The project includes a separate public shower building, and the pool would be available for 50 percent usage by the public.
If we take advantage of this opportunity, our community will have none of the problems facing the community of Los Altos, where some party is going to lose and some party is going to win. We have a win-win situation at our doorstep.
While all of the study work must be completed and we must have a financial and usage picture that hangs together, the Friends of the Fremont Pool organization feels this project will result in a terrific public service for both high school needs and Parks and Rec needs.
Become a supporter of this project. Join the Friends of the Fremont Pool support/mailing list, by emailing to Fremont Pool@aol.com or calling our hotline at 408.245.2875. The City Council will vote on this issue in February.
Holly Lofgren
Friends of the Fremont Pool
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
