Crop Circles? Nah, former War Memorial wading pool
Those of you old enough to remember when the Amherst Regional Middle School was called the Jr. High School probably remember as well referring to the War Memorial wading pool as "the little pool."
War Memorial Wading Pool looking a tad forlorn 6/21/13
Built alongside "the big pool" back in 1960 the wading pool has provided a respite from summer's withering heat for generations of Amherst youth, especially those of limited economic means.
The wading pool was closed the last two summers because of a leak which would be expensive to fix (tens of thousands). And new state regulations that would require removal of the spray unit in the center of the pool, which most kids probably found to be the best part.
Town officials have been talking about replacing the wading pool with a spray park for all too many years now.
Town Manager John Musante is expected to appoint an Amherst Center Recreation Working Group any day now, headed by Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek, to look at an overall plan for Memorial Field, adjacent public schools playing fields, and the Hawthorn property.
Unfortunately they will take a full year to do their study, so the chance a spray park will be spurting this coming summer is about as likely as UFO landing in town center.
11 comments:
OMFG. Put in a goddam wading pool and be done with it. A study? A committee? Really?
Come on now, this is Amherst.
"Study" is our middle name (or maybe "working group").
Larry,
You should know better than to invoke the concept of Aliens coming to Amherst. At some point some spaceship needs to come and pick up the crazies they left here for us to deal with.
I think we can save Amherst lots of time. Say yes to a wading pool. Then go to Look Park and get the plans they used to build theirs or take a picture and put it out to bid. Then have it built. Oh, but you are correct, committee, sub-committee, working group, study, confab, etc.. etc.. That is the Amherst way.
I spent many wonderful hours sitting at the side of the pool with my feet in the water while first my kids and then my grandkids played in the wading pool. And yes they all loved the fountain best. I'm sad to see it go.
What is the current status of the similar pool at Groff?
(My waders are adults so I am out of touch)
Functional. (Mostly)
How about saying yes to leaving the money in the hands of those that earned it. If the kids need a wading pool or water park, their loving parents can take them to a nice business that has one or put in one themselves. At $20k a year per student, doesn't the high school have a water park and roller coaster?
Anon 9:50, great idea! Please don't hesitate to join the free spirits enjoying the fruits of their own making.
When you go, please leave behind all the taxpayer funded roads, fire department, police, military, and public infrastructure. Also, when you buy gas at the pump please be sure to repay your portion of the subsidies the U.S. Government provides for oil production. And while you're at it, when you buy your groceries you can pick up the tab for the agricultural subsidies the rest of us pay for.
Good luck out there!
Thank you, Anon 11:40 am, for pointing out the hypocrisy.
There is this notion among some that THEY don't partake of the community. It's only the "takers" that do so.
No, we've all, including the wealthy, got our faces squarely planted in the public trough.
But only some of us are honest about it.
Yes to a spray park. Skip the study and look at some good examples, come to town meeting with a plan and capital request and let's go.
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