Pool committees share vision for the future

Greenfield pool advisory committee member Renee Schwartz outlined for the city council goals that her group and the Operation Pool committee having going into the new year, during the council’s Tuesday, Feb. 11 meeting.

These two committees came out of a time two years ago when a group of citizens realized the pool was at risk of permanently closing.

The advisory committee’s vision is to work in partnership with the city to develop a plan for the pool’s future. The group works closely with council members Rita Eble and Jonathan Christensen.

“It is with great appreciation that we say you listened and responded to the community’s wishes to keep this historic and vital community asset alive,” Schwartz said.

Three goals for 2025 the advisory committee has identified include:

• working together with the city to develop a strategic plan for the pool’s future

• writing an employee handbook, specific for pool employees, for consideration and use as an employee management tool

• collaborate with the city to develop and/or enhance the website to include the pool

“We look forward to discussing these three goals in our future updates,” Schwartz said.

The Operation Pool Committee is the hands on group of the two, supporting daily operations.

In the past two years, the groups have done research on the pool’s history by talking with experts on the subject, such as city staff and other city partners. They also conferred with nine other communities who underwent pool enhancements or rebuilds to learn from them.

“These communities also shared tips, tricks and best practices about daily operations,” Schwartz said.

The pool offered staff training last summer, which was the result of a $2,300 donation given by the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation. Pool officials believe lifeguards are in a better position to offer Red Cross swimming lessons in the future, alleviating the need for families to travel to other communities for these.

The groups also learned about pool safety, the pros and cons of rebuilding the pool or repairing the current one and funding resources.

“Our work has led to building strong working relationships with a wide variety of groups,” Schwartz said. “While there is still much to learn and much to do, we believe we have established a strong foundation on which we can move forward.”